WCL (1990-1994): The Underground Era

Mike Louis · January 10, 2009

Mc. Mike's Place

Chicago, IL

January 1, 1990

Mike Louis "Mc. Mike" Swain: So Jennifer, did you contact Tony Constantine over there in Vegas?

Jennifer Lawler (User Character): Yeah Mack, and Tony got everything arranged; including the payoffs to the authorities.

Mike Louis: So when's the first event?

Jennifer: Well Queen Bee and your sisters suggest March 5 as the date.

Mike Louis: I got no beef with the date; make it happen.

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Name: Women's Combat League (WCL)

Home Base: America

Owner: Mike Louis "Mc. Mike" Swain

President: Jennifer Lawler

Starting Funds: $50,000,000

WCL REGULATIONS

Match Confines: Cage

Regular Match Format: 3 x 5 minute Rounds

Title Match Format: 5 x 5 minute Rounds

WCL ROSTER

Women's Heavyweight Division (136 - 160 lbs.)

<table border="1" align="left"><tbody><tr><td>Fighter </td><td>Age </td><td>Height </td><td>Weight </td><td>Fighting Style </td><td>Hometown </td></tr><tr><td>Amanda Daniels </td><td>19 </td><td>6'0" </td><td>155</td><td>Wrestling </td><td>New York, NY </td></tr><tr><td>Beth Swain </td><td>21 </td><td>5'5" </td><td>138 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Debbie Clayton </td><td>22 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>140 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Diva Sanchez </td><td>19 </td><td>5'10" </td><td>149 </td><td>Tae Kwon Do </td><td>Las Vegas, NV </td></tr><tr><td>Helena Ruthledge </td><td>23 </td><td>6'0" </td><td>155 </td><td>Muay Thai</td><td>New York, NY </td></tr><tr><td>Katrina Thiel </td><td>23 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>140 </td><td>Tae Kwon Do </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Maria Bermundes </td><td>19 </td><td>5'9" </td><td>150 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Mercedes Lopez </td><td>19 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>140 </td><td>Kick Boxing </td><td>Las Vegas, NV </td></tr><tr><td>Phoenix Strong </td><td>19 </td><td>5'10 </td><td>149 </td><td>Karate </td><td>Las Vegas, NV </td></tr><tr><td>Tomoe Lancaster </td><td>21 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>140 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr></tbody></table>

Women's Lightweight Division (100 - 135 lbs.)

<table border="1" align="left"><tbody><tr><td>Fighter </td><td>Age </td><td>Height </td><td>Weight </td><td>Fighting Style </td><td>Hometown </td></tr><tr><td>Adriana Cortez </td><td>19 </td><td>5'4" </td><td>115 </td><td>Karate </td><td>Los Angeles, CA </td></tr><tr><td>Anika Riley </td><td>19 </td><td>5'5" </td><td>124 </td><td>Karate </td><td>New York, NY </td></tr><tr><td>Charis Tang </td><td>19 </td><td>5'9" </td><td>133 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Honolulu, HI </td></tr><tr><td>Heidi Hoffman </td><td>19 </td><td>5'5" </td><td>124 </td><td>Kick Boxing </td><td>Las Vegas, NV </td></tr><tr><td>Katie Thomas </td><td>19 </td><td>5'9" </td><td>125 </td><td>Submission Fighting </td><td>Miami, FL </td></tr><tr><td>Kimie Lancaster </td><td>19 </td><td>5'6" </td><td>127 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Loni Lee </td><td>19 </td><td>5'5" </td><td>124 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Honolulu, HI </td></tr><tr><td>Mai Ishii </td><td>19 </td><td>5'4" </td><td>121 </td><td>Judo </td><td>Honolulu, HI </td></tr><tr><td>Matilda Swain </td><td>19 </td><td>5'4" </td><td>120 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Chicago, IL </td></tr><tr><td>Yong Lee </td><td>19 </td><td>5'5" </td><td>124 </td><td>Tae Kwon Do </td><td>Honolulu, HI </td></tr></tbody></table>

Mike Louis · January 10, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

February 19, 1990

The official card for WCL 1: Lopez vs. Swain

Mercedes Lopez vs. Beth Swain
Adriana Cortez vs. Charis Tang
Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes
Anika Riley vs. Heidi Hoffman
Amanda Daniels vs. Katrina Thiel
Katie Thomas vs. Kimie Lancaster
Debbie Clayton vs. Diva Sanchez
Loni Lee vs. Mai Ishii
Phoenix Strong vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Predictions and comments are welcome.

Mike Louis · January 10, 2009

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VHS Cover for WCL 1: Lopez vs. Swain

WCL 1: Lopez vs. Swain

March 5, 1990

Las Vegas, NV

Phoenix Strong vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

Lancaster throws a nice series of straight rights from the start, bobbing and weaving to keep Strong from landing anything in return. None of the punches got through though, Strong parried them away. Nice crisp start to the round though. Strong misses with a straight right. Lancaster hits a standing kick, and Strong is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Lancaster leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Strong, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Strong out, but it left her stunned, and that was all that Lancaster needed to finish the job. Lancaster wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 1:32.

Loni Lee vs. Mai Ishii

Round 1

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Lee, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Lee puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Ishii covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. Lee throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Ishii easily avoided them. Low kick from Ishii, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Lee will take the round on points. End of round 1. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lee.

Round 2

The fighters come together right in the center. Ishii throws out a jab, but Lee bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Lee works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Ishii covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Lee is making Ishii look sluggish in comparison; such is the speed and crispness with which she is delivering strikes. Ishii hits a low kick before back-pedaling to avoid a clubbing blow. Ishii looks to be working an angle. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Lee got slightly the better of it; she definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Ishii slightly. Ishii initiates a clinch and the action grinds to a halt. Ishii looks out of ideas, she is being repeatedly lured into these exchanges of strikes, but Lee is clearly winning them. Ishii needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Lee tries a speculative high kick, but Ishii saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Ishii tries to work an angle, but Lee is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep her from stepping in. Comfortable round for Lee, she will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given her dominance of the striking in this round. End of round 2. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lee.

Round 3

Fast start by Ishii, who has thrown three crisp jabs in the first twenty seconds; although none of them got past the gloves. Lee circles, drawing a lunge from Ishii; allowing her to score with a nice low kick to the front leg. Ishii ignores that and darts in for a takedown, but only ends up holding one leg, Lee hopping on the other to remain vertical. Ishii tries to push forward to complete the takedown, but Lee manages to pull them all the way back to the cage before ultimately going down. That's a much better position to be in though; she has her corner right there, and can use the cage to effectively cut off any form of attack to the left hand side of her body. Ishii has one leg trapped between Lee's, and is struggling to get it free. She throws a couple of punches, none of them doing much damage, and then tries to work on one of the arms. It might be a kimura that she looking for. Lee defends it well, without fully escaping it; Ishii can't really do a lot with it due to how much she has to stretch to apply it, due to her leg being trapped. Lee suddenly releases the leg and scrambles up, looking to take Ishii's back. Ishii was ready for it though, and blocks it by pinning a half-standing Lee up against the cage. It's a precarious position for both fighters. Lee throws a couple of short-range punches. Ishii gets a leg in and trips Lee, putting her back on the ground, albeit this time in full guard. It was a nice escape attempt from Lee, at least she can take heart from the fact that it resulted in a better defensive position. Time is running out, it looks like this round will end with them in this position. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Ishii. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Loni Lee.

Debbie Clayton vs. Diva Sanchez

Round 1

Clayton moves in quickly to begin, trapping Sanchez against the cage. Looks like a statement of intent, Clayton is going to try and out-wrestle Sanchez. Clayton works for position, and tries to get in a hard shot to the face; Sanchez turned out of it and got free though, no damage done. Clayton comes in again, looking for the grapple, but gets sent back with a succession of three crisp jabs and a speculative high kick. Sanchez looks to be working an angle. Sanchez tries to work an angle, and then steps in...and gets creamed with a high head kick! Clayton landed it right to the ear of all places, and Sanchez's legs give way, sending her crashing to the floor. The referee immediately covers her up, she is clearly out cold. Clayton gets the win via K.O. Official time of the knock out is 2:34 of the first round.

Katie Thomas vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Thomas puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Lancaster defended well. Straight right from Lancaster in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight; the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Thomas probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Lancaster gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Thomas. The round is over. Blurcat gives that one to Thomas by 10-9.

Round 2

Lancaster leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Thomas deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round; the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Thomas uses a knee to the ribs before backing Lancaster up against the cage. Right hand from Lancaster connects though, that was well timed. Thomas breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Lancaster was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Thomas sting the gloves, and then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Lancaster fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Thomas seems to be growing in confidence over the past thirty seconds. She has just come up with four good separate straight rights, although I don't think any of them did too much damage. She moves in for another, but takes a wicked kick from Lancaster. Thomas looks wobbly, and her hands drop. Lancaster sees it, and comes in with a solid right hand that drops Thomas to the mat. Lancaster follows up with more punches, and the referee has to get in there and stop it, Thomas was not defending herself properly. I think it's the kick that did the most damage; it seemed to scramble her brains. The official time of the TKO is 3:22 of round 2.

Amanda Daniels vs. Katrina Thiel

Round 1

Thiel starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Daniels. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Daniels goes for a single leg and puts Thiel on the floor, but she is up very quickly, preventing Daniels from getting on top. Thiel definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Daniels hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Thiel again. This time Thiel isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Daniels will have to hurry to finish. She goes for an armbar, but Thiel defends. Daniels tries to slip past to get side control, but Thiel just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Daniels has the side. Two big elbows land, and Thiel seems in trouble. Daniels goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before she can try again, and the referee separates them. End of round 1. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Daniels.

Round 2

Daniels leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Thiel deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round; the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Thiel uses a knee to the ribs before backing Daniels up against the cage. Right hand from Daniels connects though, that was well timed. Thiel breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Daniels was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Thiel sting the gloves, and then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Daniels fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Daniels throws a stinging jab, landing just above the left eye. Thiel steps in and fires off one of her own, but Daniels bobs out of the way and scores with a pair of solid shots to the body. Thiel turns and swings, just as Daniels also unloads...and it's Daniels who connects first! Thiel's hands drop and she is on rubbery legs. Daniels follows up with a beauty of a right hand, and that drops Thiel. The referee doesn't even wait for Daniels to dive in to finish, she's seen enough, Thiel is clearly on Dream Street. This bout is over! The official time of the TKO is 3:21 of round 2.

Anika Riley vs. Heidi Hoffman

Round 1

Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Riley throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Hoffman. Kick to the thigh from Hoffman, but it lacked power. Both fighters circle. Riley pushes Hoffman up against the cage in a clinch. Riley throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Hoffman pushes her away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Riley took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Riley against the cage, and Hoffman follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Hoffman away; she wins the match by TKO. Hoffman wins via first round TKO at 1:49.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes

Round 1

Ruthledge moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Bermundes steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Ruthledge didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind her ear. Ruthledge is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Bermundes from inflicting any more damage. Official time of the knock out is 0:36 of the first.

Adriana Cortez vs. Charis Tang

Round 1

Tang starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Cortez checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Tang doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Tang cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Cortez with a beauty of a right hook. Cortez stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Tang presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Cortez clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Cortez scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Tang in the gut. Tang uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Tang gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Cortez reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Tang has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Cortez has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Tang from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Tang tries to step over and fully apply it, but Cortez breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Tang steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Cortez hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Tang will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. That's the end of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Tang by 10-9.

Round 2

They are circling, and then come in close. Both fighters are tentatively looking for the chance to strike. Cortez is the first to go for it, throwing a three-punch combination. Tang covered up well, taking very little damage. Cortez goes to throw a bomb, but gets clipped with a right hand before it can connect. She felt that. Tang steps in and throws a bomb of her own and it crunches into the side of the cheek of Cortez, who goes down! Replays show the shock wave passing through her entire body as that powerful punch connected. What a strike! Tang wins this by a brutally clean knock out. Tang wins via 2nd round knock out with the official time being 1:57.

Mercedes Lopez vs. Beth Swain

Round 1

Swain starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Lopez checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Swain doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Swain cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Lopez with a beauty of a right hook. Lopez stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Swain presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Lopez clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Lopez scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Swain in the gut. Swain uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Swain gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Lopez reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Swain has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Lopez has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Swain from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Swain tries to step over and fully apply it, but Lopez breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Swain steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Lopez hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Swain will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Swain by 10-9.

Round 2

Slow start to the round, Lopez is circling while Swain seems content to just throw the occasional looping punch to cause her to back up. Lopez steps in and fires off two jabs, neither connecting, then has to almost throw herself to one side to avoid a devastating looking punch! Swain was clearly looking for the highlight reel K.O. punch, had that connected there is no way that Lopez was getting back up. There's a warning to Lopez, she must now know, if she didn't already, that Swain has knock out intentions tonight. Lopez throws a right hand, then backs up sharply, clearly not loving the idea of getting too close. Swain still looks calm, throwing the occasional jab or two to keep Lopez off balance. Swain seems to be growing in confidence over the past thirty seconds. She has just come up with four good separate straight rights, although I don't think any of them did too much damage. She moves in for another, but takes a wicked kick from Lopez. Swain looks wobbly, and her hands drop. Lopez sees it, and comes in with a solid right hand that drops Swain to the mat. Lopez follows up with more punches, and the referee has to get in there and stop it, Swain was not defending herself properly. I think it's the kick that did the most damage, it seemed to scramble her brains. Official time of the TKO is 3:58 of the second.

Quick Recap

Tomoe Lancaster beat Phoenix Strong (TKO, Round 1 – 1:32) *
Loni Lee beat Mai Ishii (Decision) *
Debbie Clayton beat Diva Sanchez (KO, Round 1 - 2:34) **
Kimie Lancaster beat Katie Thomas (TKO, Round 2 - 3:22) **
Amanda Daniels beat Katrina Thiel (TKO, Round 2 - 3:21) *
Heidi Hoffman beat Anika Riley (TKO, Round 1 - 1:49) **
Maria Bermundes beat Helena Ruthledge (KO, Round 1 - 0:36) **
Charis Tang beat Adriana Cortez (KO, Round 2 - 1:57) **
Mercedes Lopez beat Beth Swain (TKO, Round 2 - 3:58) **

Attendance: 19

Live Gate: $1,120

Mike Louis · January 11, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

May 11, 1990

The WCL has announced the signing of the following fighters to associate contracts.

Women's Heavyweight Division <table border="1"><tbody><tr><td>Fighter</td><td>Age </td><td>Height </td><td>Weight </td><td>Fighting Style </td><td>Hometown </td></tr><tr><td>Kendra Oates </td><td>19 </td><td>6'0" </td><td>155 </td><td>Hapkido </td><td>Kansas City, MO </td></tr><tr><td>Leilani Lambert </td><td>20 </td><td>5'10" </td><td>149 </td><td>Jiu-Jitsu </td><td>Honolulu, HI </td></tr></tbody></table> Women's Lightweight Division <table border="1"><tbody><tr><td>Fighter </td><td>Age </td><td>Height </td><td>Weight </td><td>Fighting Style </td><td>Hometown </td></tr><tr><td>April Watson </td><td>22 </td><td>5'3" </td><td>120 </td><td>Muay Thai </td><td>Atlanta, GA </td></tr><tr><td>Katherine Williams </td><td>21 </td><td>5'6" </td><td>127 </td><td>Submission Fighting </td><td>Boston, MA </td></tr><tr><td>Sarah Vaughan </td><td>24 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>133 </td><td>Submission Fighting </td><td>Phoenix, AZ </td></tr></tbody></table>

On an unrelated note, Matilda Swain has taken a leave of absence from the promotion for personal reasons.

Mike Louis · January 11, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

May 21, 1990

The Official Card for WCL 2: Lee vs. Thomas

Yong Lee vs. Katie Thomas
Diva Sanchez vs. Phoenix Strong
Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez
Helena Ruthledge vs. Beth Swain
Debbie Clayton vs. Mercedes Lopez
Charis Tang vs. Kimie Lancaster
Amanda Daniels vs. Tomoe Lancaster
Heidi Hoffman vs. Loni Lee

Predictions and comments are welcome.

UFC-KING · January 11, 2009

1. Yong Lee vs. Katie Thomas

2. Diva Sanchez vs. Phoenix Strong

3. Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez

4. Helena Ruthledge vs. Beth Swain

5. Debbie Clayton vs. Mercedes Lopez

6. Charis Tang vs. Kimie Lancaster

7. Amanda Daniels vs. Tomoe Lancaster

8. Heidi Hoffman vs. Loni Lee

Mike Louis · January 12, 2009

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VHS Cover for WCL 2: Lee vs. Thomas

WCL 2: Lee vs. Thomas

June 4, 1990

Las Vegas, NV

Heidi Hoffman vs. Loni Lee

Round 1

Lee starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Hoffman checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Lee doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Lee cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Hoffman with a beauty of a right hook. Hoffman stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Lee presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Hoffman clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Hoffman scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Lee in the gut. Lee uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Lee gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Hoffman reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Lee has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Hoffman has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Lee from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Lee tries to step over and fully apply it, but Hoffman breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Lee steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Hoffman hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Lee will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. That's the end of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Lee by 10-9.

Round 2

Slow start to the round, they're both circling, looking for an opening. Hoffman tries a looping punch from way back, but Lee side steps with ease. Jab from Lee, gets one back in response. Hoffman comes in; looking for the right hand lead, but Lee shoots in and uses a double-leg takedown. She winds up in a closed guard. Lee tries to pass guard, but Hoffman doesn't allow it. Hoffman throws a couple of punches, but they're parried away. She breaks her guard to bring a leg across and try to kick Lee in the face, but it's a mistake as Lee pushes the leg aside and gets side control. Lee pushes them closer to the cage, near her own corner so that they can give her instructions. Following what they say, Lee throws some heavy blows to the unprotected stomach of Hoffman, then tries to isolate the closest arm. Hoffman frantically tries to stop that happening, but does indeed give it up. She does manage to roll to the side, giving herself some good leverage and preventing Lee from extending the arm. Lee continues trying to apply an armbar, but Hoffman is not allowing it. Eventually Lee turns and tries to get a crucifix position instead. Hoffman fights that off too. The round ends with Lee still doggedly trying to get an armbar submission, and Hoffman tenaciously stopping it. The second round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lee.

Round 3

Hoffman doesn't hold back, starting by immediately shooting in for a takedown. Lee sprawls and keeps her at bay. Hoffman pushes harder, but Lee has the much better position and manages to flip her over, putting Hoffman on her back. Lee gets sucked into her guard though. Lee stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Hoffman's guard with her. Hoffman reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Lee knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Hoffman blocks it. Lee floats over and gets into side control. Hoffman scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against her. Lee lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Hoffman up, and then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Hoffman makes sure to bring her body around to give her as much protection as possible. It works, as Lee can't get either arm isolated properly. Lee changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Hoffman fights it for as long as she possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defense though, as the round ends before Lee can do anything with the position she has achieved, which will frustrate her enormously. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lee. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for Loni Lee.

Amanda Daniels vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

Lancaster doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Daniels was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Daniels hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that she is rattled. Lancaster looks to be working an angle. They get in close and exchange punches; it's not clear who got the better of that. Lancaster hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Daniels. Lancaster is getting more force behind her punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Lancaster narrowly misses a right cross. Time ticks away, and Daniels offers nothing that would make you think that she has any chance of winning this round on points. The round ends. Blurcat gives that one to Lancaster by 10-9.

Round 2

Lancaster comes out strongly, looking for an early knock down, but three crisp jabs all get blocked, and Daniels ties her up in a clinch inside of the first thirty seconds. They struggle in the clinch for a while. Lancaster breaks free and steps back. Daniels tries to follow, but takes a harsh kick to the hip as a result. Lancaster moves in and throws some high speed jabs. Daniels defends them fairly easily, and throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Lancaster thunders another kick into the hip area. Daniels backs off, limping slightly. Daniels fakes a takedown, allowing her to bring out a left cross from way down. Lancaster manages to parry it away, but it glances off the side of her head nonetheless. Daniels tries to capitalize, coming in with a looping overhand right, but Lancaster gets out of the way and has the time to pick her spot for another brutal kick. This one is slightly higher, crashing into the rib cage. Daniels is having real trouble finding a way past those kicks; they are so powerful that they're allowing Lancaster to dictate the action. She will win this round on points, as time is about to run out. That's the end of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 3

Daniels comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Lancaster moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Daniels gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head; it looked to hit right on the ear. Lancaster didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Lancaster swings and hits a nice right hand. Daniels fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Lancaster dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Daniels' part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Lancaster looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Daniels on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Lancaster will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster. The judges are split; Tomoe Lancaster gets 30-27 from the first, Amanda Daniels gets 29-28 from the second, the third gives 30-27 to Tomoe Lancaster. Tomoe Lancaster gets the split decision victory.

Charis Tang vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Tang leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Lancaster deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round; the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Lancaster uses a knee to the ribs before backing Tang up against the cage. Right hand from Tang connects though, that was well timed. Lancaster breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Tang was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Lancaster sting the gloves, and then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Tang fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. They come together, both throwing punches. Lancaster gets a nice clean shot in, and Tang stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Lancaster is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. The official time of the TKO is 3:18 of round 1.

Debbie Clayton vs. Mercedes Lopez

Round 1

Lopez misses with a straight right. Clayton hits a standing kick, and Lopez is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Clayton leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Lopez, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Lopez out, but it left her stunned, and that was all that Clayton needed to finish the job. Official time of the TKO is 1:47 of the first.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Beth Swain

Round 1

Swain throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Ruthledge throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Swain steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, and then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Ruthledge hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Swain. They struggle all the way back, with Swain ending up backed up against the cage. Ruthledge hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Swain stomps downward onto her foot. Swain manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Ruthledge gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Swain ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Swain tries a high kick to start, but Ruthledge saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Ruthledge who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Swain on the nose. Swain hits a straight right, enough to stop Ruthledge from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round is over. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Ruthledge.

Round 2

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Swain is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Ruthledge picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Swain throws a wild punch as a counter, but Ruthledge ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Swain gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Swain is looking for big punches, Ruthledge is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Swain manages to back Ruthledge up against the cage. Swain takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Ruthledge ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Swain can unload. Swain may need to think about changing tactics, Ruthledge is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Swain fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Ruthledge on the thigh. Ruthledge presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Swain gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of round 2. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Ruthledge.

Round 3

Not much is happening at first. Swain is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Ruthledge gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Swain, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Swain takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and she gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Swain stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Ruthledge comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Swain somehow manages to hold on long enough to get her senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Swain from the clinch, and Ruthledge felt that, she looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Swain gets in a nice right hand. For a second it looked like Ruthledge was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. The third round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Ruthledge. Helena Ruthledge wins the match, getting a score of 30-27 from all three judges.

Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez

Round 1

Cortez is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging Riley with a jab to the cheek. Riley uses a nice straight left to return fire. Cortez comes in to work the body, but Riley saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Cortez onto the floor, falling into guard. Cortez tries to push free, but Riley forces her to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Riley reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Cortez breaks it by bringing her arms up. Riley steps through in an effort to mount Cortez, but can only get to half guard as one of her legs gets trapped. Riley throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Cortez rolls over and uses her free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time; with Riley determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Cortez uses everything at her disposal to block it. The round ends without Riley having made the breakthrough, although she clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. The first round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Riley.

Round 2

Tentative start, neither fighter is willing to commit yet. Riley fires off a jab, but it was easily blocked. Cortez fakes a kick, then comes in hard and fast with a takedown, sending Riley to the floor. The momentum causes Cortez to almost go completely over the top though, and Riley is able to flip her to the side and end up on top, in the guard position. Cortez tries to push free, but Riley forces her to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Riley reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Cortez breaks it by bringing her arms up. Riley steps through in an effort to mount Cortez, but can only get to half guard as one of her legs gets trapped. Riley throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Cortez rolls over and uses her free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time; with Riley determined to try and work the arm free, and get an armbar; while Cortez uses everything at her disposal to block it. The round ends without Riley having made the breakthrough, although she clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Riley.

Round 3

The two competitors start slowly, circling and looking for an opening. Cortez fakes shooting in for a takedown, but Riley didn't buy it for a second. In comes Cortez from an angle to the right, but Riley had it covered all the way, and not only easily steps out of the way of the attempted right hand, but manages to score with a solid right hand to the side of the head. Cortez felt that, and is forced to cover up quickly as Riley steps in quickly and unloads with a flurry of powerful blows, looking to capitalize on the earlier strike. Cortez is forced back against the cage, but to her credit, she did a good job defending those strikes and didn't seem to take any significant damage. Riley doesn't get in too close, realizing that it would likely mean getting caught in a clinch, so she stands slightly back instead and throws some low kicks and looping punches. Cortez responds by throwing out some straight jabs, but neither fighter is really doing any damage to their opponent. Riley clearly grows tired of the wait, and moves in to hit a body blow. It connects, but Cortez is quick to tie her up in a clinch. That lasts quite a while, until the referee gets in there and breaks them up, telling them to fight. An exchange of punches goes nowhere, and they fall into a clinch. The referee separates them when nothing happens. Riley scores with a stiff jab, and bob and weaves to avoid all three of the rapid-fire punches that come back from Cortez. Nicely done. Cortez, realizing that she is losing this round, comes forward with a sense of urgency, throwing right hands to put Riley on the back foot. Riley handles it well though, refusing to let Cortez get an angle, and using some nice counter punches to the body to further cement the fact that this round is going to her on points. Time expires with Cortez throwing increasingly desperate punches. The round is over. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Riley. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Anika Riley.

Diva Sanchez vs. Phoenix Strong

Round 1

Two jabs from the left hand of Sanchez set up a hard waist-high kick, but Strong steps back to avoid it. Nice attempt though. Sanchez moves in closer, bobbing and weaving, and looks to score with a looping right hand, but Strong uses the gloves to parry it away, then counter-strikes with a crisp jab and a kick to the knee. Good opening to the round, both fighters are looking lively. Sanchez finds herself backed up against the cage briefly, and has to scramble to safety to avoid a flurry of strikes. Strong is working for position, and is currently looking the more composed of the two. Strong misses with a straight right. Sanchez hits a standing kick, and Strong is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Sanchez leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Strong, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Strong out, but it left her stunned, and that was all that Sanchez needed to finish the job. Official time of the TKO is 2:44 of the first round.

Yong Lee vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Lee isn't hanging around, right from the start Thomas is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Thomas circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Lee weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Lee, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Thomas is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Lee really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Thomas was wide open for a moment there. Lee hits a high kick, catching Thomas on the shoulder. Jab from Thomas finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as she was leaning backward too much. Lee fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Thomas scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Lee, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lee.

Round 2

Dull first sixty seconds to the round, as neither fighter looks willing to commit much to attack. They're both looking for angles to come in from, but they're constantly countering each other. A crisp jab from Lee that almost found its way through the guard is the sole highlight as we reach the minute mark. An exchange of punches goes nowhere, and they fall into a clinch. The referee separates them when nothing happens. Thomas ducks out of the way of a punch, then back steps quickly, just in time to avoid the uppercut that was coming. Better from Lee, although no damage has actually been done yet. Lee gets caught with a solid right hand out of nowhere, and is rocked. Thomas follows up with another one, and Lee looks in trouble all of a sudden. She is backed up against the cage and Thomas is unloading. The punches are raining down, Lee is covering up. The referee has seen enough and stops the fight, clearly feeling that Lee was unable to defend herself intelligently. Thomas wins. Thomas wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 2:18.

Quick Recap

Loni Lee beat Heidi Hoffman (Decision) **
Tomoe Lancaster beat Amanda Daniels (Split Decision) **
Kimie Lancaster beat Charis Tang (TKO, Round 1 - 3:18) **
Debbie Clayton beat Mercedes Lopez (TKO, Round 1 - 1:47) **
Helena Ruthledge beat Beth Swain (Decision) **
Anika Riley beat Adriana Cortez (Decision) **
Diva Sanchez beat Phoenix (TKO, Round 1 - 2:44) **
Katie Thomas beat Yong Lee (TKO, Round 2 - 2:18) **

Attendance: 41

Live Gate: $2,450

Mike Louis · January 12, 2009

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/43789/2747180190100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

From WCL Headquarters

August 20, 1990

The Official Card for WCL 3: Lee vs. Lancaster

Loni Lee vs. Kimi Lancaster
Mercedes Lopez vs. Tomoe Lancaster
Debbie Clayton vs. Amanda Daniels
Charis Tang vs. Katie Thomas
Heidi Hoffman vs. Yong Lee
Diva Sanchez vs. Leilani Lambert
Anika Riley vs. Mai Ishii
Katrina Thiel vs. Maria Bermundes
Beth Swain vs. Kendra Oates

Predictions and comments are welcome.

UFC-KING · January 12, 2009

1. Loni Lee vs. Kimi Lancaster

2. Mercedes Lopez vs. Tomoe Lancaster

3. Debbie Clayton vs. Amanda Daniels

4. Charis Tang vs. Katie Thomas

5. Heidi Hoffman vs. Yong Lee

6. Diva Sanchez vs. Leilani Lambert

7. Anika Riley vs. Mai Ishii

8. Katrina Thiel vs. Maria Bermundes

9. Beth Swain vs. Kendra Oates

Mike Louis · January 13, 2009

http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/40418/2616337180100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

VHS Cover for WCL 3: Lee vs. Lancaster

WCL 3: Lee vs. Lancaster

September 3, 1990

Las Vegas, NV

Beth Swain vs. Kendra Oates

Round 1

Oates starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Swain. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Swain goes for a single leg and puts Oates on the floor, but she is up very quickly, preventing Swain from getting on top. Oates definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Swain hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Oates again. This time Oates isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Swain will have to hurry to finish. She goes for an armbar, but Oates defends. Swain tries to slip past to get side control, but Oates just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Swain has the side. Two big elbows land, and Oates seems in trouble. Swain goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before she can try again, and the referee separates them. End of round 1. Blurcat scores 10-9 Swain.

Round 2

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Oates, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Oates puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Swain covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. A looping left from Oates, but it's wide of the mark. Low kick from Swain, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Oates will take the round on points. The 2nd round ends. Blurcat gives that one to Oates by 10-9.

Round 3

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Swain is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Oates picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Swain throws a wild punch as a counter, but Oates ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Swain gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Swain is looking for big punches, Oates is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Swain manages to back Oates up against the cage. Swain takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Oates ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Swain can unload. Swain may need to think about changing tactics, Oates is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Swain fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Oates on the thigh. Oates presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Swain gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of round 3. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Oates. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favor of Kendra Oates.

Katrina Thiel vs. Maria Bermundes

Round 1

Very slow start to the round. Over a minute has gone before the first meaningful strike connects. It's Thiel who hits it, scoring with a shot to the chest. Bermundes fires back with a couple of jabs, both of which connect with the shoulder rather than the face where they were aimed. The two fighters come together in the center and exchange punches, neither getting the clear advantage. Bermundes suddenly shoots in and goes for a takedown, but Thiel manages to sprawl long enough to get them all the way back to the cage, which keeps her upright. Bermundes tries to complete the takedown, but realizes that the leverage isn't there and instead stands and clinches. Thiel hits a couple of shots to the back. Bermundes hits a stomp. Thiel lifts her leg to go for a knee, but that gives Bermundes the opportunity to lift her and slam her down to the ground. That was a hard slam! Bermundes is on top, almost sitting on top of a balled-up Thiel. She throws some hard downward punches, Thiel defends most of them, although one hits hard above the eye. Bermundes leaves her arm in for a second too long and Thiel reaches up and almost gets an armbar. Bermundes gets free though, although the effort puts her off-balance enough for her to stumble, giving Thiel the opportunity to scramble back up. There's a nasty mark above the eye where the earlier punch connected though. They go back to circling each other. There's not much time left. Thiel tries one last big attack, swinging for the fences with two bombs, but Bermundes avoids both, adding a nice shot to the stomach after the second dodge. The round ends there. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Bermundes.

Round 2

Thiel doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Bermundes was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Bermundes hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that she is rattled. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd becomes a little restless. They get in close and exchange punches; it's not clear who got the better of that. Thiel hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Bermundes. Thiel is getting more force behind her punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Bermundes looks to be working an angle. Time ticks away, and Bermundes offers nothing that would make you think that she has any chance of winning this round on points. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Thiel.

Round 3

Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Bermundes throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Thiel's jaw, but it is parried. Thiel steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Bermundes moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Thiel put a lot of weight behind it. Bermundes hits a nice jab, and then clinches. Thiel hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Bermundes hits a low kick to the leg. Thiel bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Bermundes goes down! Good shot from Thiel! She tries to follow up and pound on Bermundes, but Bermundes is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Thiel, sensing that Bermundes is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Bermundes ends up backed up against the cage. Thiel gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Bermundes, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Thiel has in her hands is really posing Bermundes some problems. The clinch drags on, with Thiel unable to break free, and the round ends like that. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Thiel. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Katrina Thiel.

Anika Riley vs. Mai Ishii

Round 1

Ishii comes out fast, and looks like she is aiming for a quick takedown, but Riley stops that plan with some looping punches. Solid right hand from Riley connects, and that's the best moment of the opening minute of the round. Ishii is mainly defending against punches; it looks like she is trying to work an angle to try for a takedown. Riley seems to have noticed, as she is purposely positioning against that. Straight left from Riley, then a low kick, then a wicked body shot. Ishii felt that, and backs off. Ishii tries to get in for a clinch, perhaps looking for a takedown from that position, but Riley gets her to back off with some jabs. Riley has really been able to stamp her gameplan on this round, Ishii has been blocked at every turn. End of round 1. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Riley.

Round 2

Ishii is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Riley advancing. A sharp right misses, and Ishii takes the opportunity to pull Riley in to a tight clinch against the cage. Riley tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Riley wants to stand and bang, Ishii wants to keep things at close quarters. Riley tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Ishii, and we're down to the ground. Ishii has side control, but Riley has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Ishii will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Riley tries to squirm into a better position, but Ishii puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Ishii tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Riley defends it. Riley manages to bring a knee up and catch Ishii in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Ishii responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Riley covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Ishii may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Ishii tries to float over into a mount, but Riley uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Ishii enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Ishii is the last action of the round. That's the end of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Ishii.

Round 3

A crisp jab from Riley starts the round; it tagged Ishii on the cheek. Straight right from Ishii in response; glancing off the side of the head; albeit without much power. Riley steps in for an attack but is smothered by Ishii who clinches. Riley has to react quickly to avoid being tossed to the ground, but can't stop being driven into the cage. Ishii is virtually woman-handling Riley with her wrestling ability. Up against the cage, Ishii has the much stronger position. Right hand connects to the side of the body. And another. There isn't a great deal of power on them, but they're forming a big red mark on the body, and Riley can't really do a lot in response; she can't seem to wrestle Ishii off, and she can't work into a position to unload any strikes either. Ishii fires off another two punches, and then goes for a trip. Riley spins out, almost falls, but manages to squirm out and back off quickly to the center. That was close, and Riley knows it. They exchange punches. Riley hits a nice jab just above the left eye, but takes a hard punch to the cheek at the same time. Riley momentarily loses her footing and drops her hands that shot having really rung her bell. Ishii shoots off another right hand to capitalize, and this time it's the killer blow, Riley falls back and crash-lands on the floor, she was out cold from the instant that punch hit. A knock out victory for Ishii. Ishii wins via 3rd round knock out with the official time being 4:44.

Diva Sanchez vs. Leilani Lambert

Round 1

Lambert starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Sanchez on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Lambert to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Sanchez, but certainly enough to make her grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Lambert; it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Sanchez is looking a little lost so far, Lambert is controlling this round by virtue of her crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. A looping left from Lambert, but it's wide of the mark. Lambert leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Sanchez was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Sanchez comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Sanchez is that although Lambert clearly won the round, she didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. The first round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lambert.

Round 2

Good start from Lambert, taking Sanchez down almost immediately! Sanchez scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Lambert will be disappointed with that. Sanchez comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Lambert to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Sanchez felt that one for sure. She stalks Lambert, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Lambert keeps out of the way. Sanchez tries a kick, but Lambert catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Lambert gets Sanchez down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Lambert throws some punches, and then tries to pass. Sanchez doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Lambert easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Lambert followed by a pass attempt, with Sanchez blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The round is over. Blurcat gives that one to Lambert by 10-9.

Round 3

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Sanchez is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Lambert picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Sanchez throws a wild punch as a counter, but Lambert ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Sanchez gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Sanchez is looking for big punches, Lambert is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Sanchez manages to back Lambert up against the cage. Sanchez takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Lambert ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Sanchez can unload. Sanchez may need to think about changing tactics, Lambert is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Sanchez fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Lambert on the thigh. Lambert presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Sanchez gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lambert. Leilani Lambert wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.

Heidi Hoffman vs. Yong Lee

Round 1

The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Hoffman forces Lee back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Hoffman is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Lee clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Lee gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Hoffman seems to be trying to break the clinch, it’s Lee who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Hoffman had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Lee with a jab. Hoffman looks for an opening. Big kick from Lee! That was out of nowhere, and hit Hoffman on the jaw. I don't think anyone saw that coming, least of all Hoffman, and she has been laid out cold with one massively powerful kick. Official time of the knock out is 3:27 of the first round.

Charis Tang vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Not the most interesting of starts to the round, it's mainly a lot of circling. The referee apparently gets bored, as she tells them to get on with it and fight. Tang complies, firing off a dangerous right cross, narrowly missing. Thomas throws a couple of stiff jabs, but they only find gloves. Tang fakes left, and then comes in from the right, hitting a nice body blow. Thomas steps forward and unleashes a big kick, thundering it into Tang's ribs. She felt that one for sure. Thomas follows up by hitting a right hand too. Tang finds herself backed up against the cage. Thomas advances, and throws a scythe-like kick to the legs. Tang can't get out of the way, and almost gets felled by the impact. Thomas steps in; and scores with a high head kick. Tang partially blocked it with her hands, which was probably the only thing stopping it from being a knock out blow. Tang gets a right hand jab out in response, and then pulls Thomas into a clinch. Knee strike from Thomas. They break. Tang still looks hurt from that first kick. Thomas gets in close and gives a receipt for that earlier body blow, nailing a right hand to the gut. Tang hits a jab to the cheek in response, and then clinches again. Time runs down, the round will end before anything more can happen. Thomas has used those powerful kicks to dominate this round. The round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Thomas.

Round 2

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Tang is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Thomas picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Tang throws a wild punch as a counter, but Thomas ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Tang gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Tang is looking for big punches, Thomas is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Tang manages to back Thomas up against the cage. Tang takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Thomas ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Tang can unload. Tang may need to think about changing tactics, Thomas is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Tang fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Thomas on the thigh. Thomas presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Tang gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Thomas.

Round 3

Tang is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Thomas advancing. A sharp right misses, and Tang takes the opportunity to pull Thomas in to a tight clinch against the cage. Thomas tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Thomas wants to stand and bang, Tang wants to keep things at close quarters. Thomas tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Tang, and we're down to the ground. Tang has side control, but Thomas has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Tang will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Thomas tries to squirm into a better position, but Tang puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Tang tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Thomas defends it. Thomas manages to bring a knee up and catch Tang in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Tang responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Thomas covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Tang may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Tang tries to float over into a mount, but Thomas uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Tang enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Tang is the last action of the round. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Tang by 10-9. Katie Thomas wins, with a score of 29-28 from two judges, 30-27 from the other.

Debbie Clayton vs. Amanda Daniels

Round 1

They come together, both throwing punches. Daniels gets a nice clean shot in, and Clayton stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Daniels is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Daniels wins via first round TKO at 16 seconds.

Mercedes Lopez vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Lancaster gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. With the cage to her back, Lancaster throws some range-finding jabs. Lopez throws one in response, and then swings for the fences with a wildly explosive kick. Lancaster chose the wrong moment to step forward, and winds up taking the foot right to the jaw! Lancaster collapses, knocked out. Lopez wins via 1st round knock out with the official time being 1:24.

Loni Lee vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Slow start nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Lancaster works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when she advances. They clinch, and end up with Lee backed up against the cage. Lancaster gets a couple of right hands to the body, but her attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Lee, who uses her legs well to defend. Lancaster pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Lee gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Lancaster follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Lancaster hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Lee tags her with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Lee leans in to a looping left, but it puts her off balance and it's only at the last second that she gets her chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. End of round 1. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster.

Round 2

Flat start to the round; thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Lee is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Lancaster blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Lee is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Lancaster is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Lee can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Lee some problems later on. Lee moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Lancaster is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Lee before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Lee off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Lee goes for a trip, but Lancaster cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Lancaster may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The second round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster.

Round 3

Jab from Lee, then another, and a third. Lancaster weaved out of the way of all three, although the second glanced off the shoulder slightly. Lee moves back to avoid the counter uppercut. Lancaster comes from the left with a high punch, and then goes for the body. Lee blocks, ducks a straight right, then unleashes an enormous kick. Lancaster ducks at the last possible moment, avoiding it by a split-second! That was an evil-looking kick, if that had hit it was good night for Lancaster that had 'knock out' written all over it. Lancaster will be on the look out for a repeat of that, there is no way she can afford to take a head kick with that much power without taking a defeat. Lee makes Lancaster back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. She comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Lee throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Lancaster lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Lee by surprise, putting her down! Lancaster follows up and starts raining down right hands. Lee covers up as best she can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Lancaster off, the match is over. The official time of the TKO is 4:28 of round 3.

Quick Recap

Kendra Oates beat Beth Swain (Decision) **
Katrina Thiel beat Maria Bermundes (Decision) **
Mai Ishii beat Anika Riley (KO, Round 3 - 4:44) **
Leilani Lambert beat Diva Sanchez (Decision) **
Yong Lee beat Heidi Hoffman (KO, Round 1 - 3:27) **
Katie Thomas beat Charis Tang (Decision) **
Amanda Daniels beat Debbie Clayton (TKO, Round 0:16) **
Mercedes Lopez beat Tomoe Lancaster (KO, Round 1 - 1:24) ***
Loni Lee beat Kimie Lancaster (TKO, Round 3 - 4:28) ***

Attendance: 42

Live Gate: $2,520

Mike Louis · January 14, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

November 17, 1990

The WCL has signed the following fighters to Associate Contracts.

Women's Heavyweight Division <table border="1"><tbody><tr><td>Fighter </td><td>Age </td><td>Height </td><td>Weight </td><td>Fighting Style </td><td>Hometown </td></tr><tr><td>Amy Lawson </td><td>20 </td><td>5'7" </td><td>153 </td><td>Judo </td><td>Long Beach, CA </td></tr><tr><td>Seka Mutsu </td><td>23 </td><td>5'9" </td><td>141 </td><td>Ground And Pound </td><td>Osaka, Japan </td></tr></tbody></table>

In a related statement, Beth Swain has announced that she had dropped down to the Women's Lightweight Division. Her new fighting weight will be at 135 lbs.

Mike Louis · January 14, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

November 19, 1990

The Offical Card for WCL 4: Riley vs. Lancaster

Anika Riley vs. Kimie Lancaster for WCL Lightweight Title
Loni Lee vs. Katie Thomas
Mercedes Lopez vs. Kendra Oates for WCL Heavyweight Title
Diva Sanchez vs. Tomoe Lancaster
Helena Ruthledge vs. Katrina Thiel
Yong Lee vs. Mai Ishii
Debbie Clayton vs. Leilani Lambert
Amanda Daniels vs. Phoenix Strong
April Watson vs. Adriana Cortez
Katherine William vs. Charis Tang
Sarah Vaughan vs. Heidi Hoffman

Predictions and comments are welcome.

Mike Louis · January 14, 2009

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VHS Cover for WCL 4: Riley vs. Lancaster

WCL 4: Riley vs. Lancaster

December 3, 1990

Las Vegas, NV

Sarah Vaughan vs. Heidi Hoffman

Round 1

Vaughan doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Hoffman easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Hoffman throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. They get into a clinch, winding up with Vaughan having her back up against the cage. Hoffman hits three big body shots, then a big uppercut that knocks Vaughan silly! She is on rubbery legs. Hoffman starts unloading with punches, and Vaughan is reduced to covering up and desperately trying to hang on. The referee has had enough and pulls Hoffman away; it'll go down as a TKO. Hoffman wins via TKO at 1:53 of the first round.

Katherine William vs. Charis Tang

Round 1

Tang starts brightly, almost hunting Williams down by stalking her around the ring. Williams throws some jabs, but they don't have the range to hit. Tang hits the first good strike, slicing a nasty-looking kick to the hip area. Williams throws a left hook in response, but it is easily parried. Tang hits another kick, this time to the calf of Williams' front leg. The kicks that Tang has been throwing are looking really good, they're sharp, accurate, and difficult to see coming. Williams will need to figure out a counter, as currently she is being picked apart. Williams moves in quickly and grabs a clinch. They struggle like that for a full minute, exchanging short, sharp blows, but without doing any real damage. The referee gets them to part. Williams tags Tang with a straight left. Tang ducks a second one, hits a jab, and then whips out a quick kick that hits perfectly to the inside of the knee of the front leg. The leg buckles, and Williams is down to one knee briefly, but quickly up before Tang can take her head off with another kick. Williams is limping slightly, that kick was beautifully judged. Williams throws a couple of big right hands, but they're easily avoided. Tang starts working angle to throw more low kicks, Williams is keeping away from them. Tang seems content not to push the action too much; she looks a bit tired from throwing all those kicks. The round ends without further major action. The first round is over. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Tang.

Round 2

Tang starts fast, immediately going on the attack with jabs and straight rights. Williams covers up from the initial burst, and then starts throwing some raking rights and lefts. Tang bobs and weaves out of harm's way, countering by flicking off jabs whenever possible, peppering Williams with strikes. None of them are likely to knock Williams down, but they will add up over time. Williams moves in and tries to back Tang up against the cage, but she is too quick, and won't allow herself to get caught. Williams is having a real problem with Tang's movement, which is allowing her to dart in and out almost at will, hitting quick jabs and avoiding any counters. There's another example, as Tang scores with a sharp left hand to the chest, and is gone before the big right hand of Williams hits. Williams looks frustrated, and switches tactics, no longer looking for the big punches but trying to stop Tang getting in close by using low kicks and long, raking punches. Tang is kept from doing any further damage, but Williams isn't generating any offense either. Tang comes in from an angle, takes a right hand, but scores with a flurry of her own. Williams tries to hit a low kick, but misses. Time is running down, Tang is going to take this round on points; she has been able to dominate it thanks to her superior movement. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Tang.

Round 3

The round starts with some tentative striking. Both fighters look to be using their strikes merely to keep the opponent off-balance while they work for an angle for a takedown, rather than actually trying to inflict too much damage. Tang goes for the first takedown, but Williams has it well-scouted and they merely end up in a clinch. They tussle, ending up all the way back against the cage. Both fighters try trips, but neither gets anything. Finally, the referee steps in and separates them. Williams storms back in almost immediately and takes Tang down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Tang just had a lapse in concentration. Williams tries to pass the guard but can't, with Tang employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Tang is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Williams makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Tang has her tied up pretty well all the same. Time is ticking away, what has been a very tame round looks set to end without much in the way of highlights. It'll have to go to Williams on points; the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. End of the round. Blurcat scores 10-9 Williams. All three judges give a score of 29-28 to Charis Tang.

April Watson vs. Adriana Cortez

Round 1

The round begins, and it is Cortez who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Watson defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Cortez works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Watson ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Cortez down much though, as she swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Watson. Interesting first minute of action, Cortez is looking particularly sharp. Watson tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Cortez back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Watson tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Cortez scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. An exchange of punches goes nowhere, and they fall into a clinch. The referee separates them when nothing happens. They square up to each other in the center. Cortez throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Watson on the side of the head. Watson got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Cortez has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Watson tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Cortez defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Cortez.

Round 2

Watson hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Cortez to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Watson hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Cortez tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Watson having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Cortez. Watson pushes Cortez back against the cage, and is able to use that as a set up to taking Cortez down the mat, landing in side control. Cortez tries to scramble into a better position, but Watson grabs an arm and tries to lock a hold in. Cortez bucks her over, and manages to wind up on top, but Watson still has the arm, and now has her legs wrapped around it. Cortez hits a flurry of left hands to the back and thighs of Watson, who is almost upside down now. It's no good though, as Cortez cannot get her arm free, and as soon as Watson starts to sink the hold in fully, there's no choice but to tap out. The official time of the armbar submission is 3:21 of round 2.

Amanda Daniels vs. Phoenix Strong

Round 1

Daniels throws two high punches, and then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Strong defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. Strong ducks a right hand, but steps forward right into a brutal left cross! Daniels put so much power on that swing that she almost floored herself. Strong goes down, stunned. Daniels dives on top and starts punching away, landing several big shots. The referee has seen enough, and pulls Daniels off, ending the match. Official time of the TKO is 1:31 of the first round.

Debbie Clayton vs. Leilani Lambert

Round 1

Lambert throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Clayton throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Lambert steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, and then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Clayton hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Lambert. They struggle all the way back, with Lambert ending up backed up against the cage. Clayton hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Lambert stomps downward onto her foot. Lambert manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Clayton gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Lambert ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Lambert tries a high kick to start, but Clayton saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Clayton who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Lambert on the nose. Lambert hits a straight right, enough to stop Clayton from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round ends. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Clayton.

Round 2

Right hand from Clayton was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Lambert. Clayton follows up by coming in close, but Lambert is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Clayton throws a big head kick, but Lambert ducks and back pedals to safety. If that had hit, this was all over, because Clayton wasn't holding anything back on that missile of a kick. Lambert regains her composure and advances, throwing a pair of looping rights. Clayton throws a kick to the legs, then a range-finding left hand. Lambert steps to the side to get a better angle, then steps in...and this time the scorching head kick that comes her way catches her unaware and lands flush to the side of the jaw! Lambert goes completely limp as she crash-lands to the ground that was a brutal knock out kick. Clayton wins via knock out at 1:45 of the second round.

Yong Lee vs. Mai Ishii

Round 1

Lee starts strong, hitting a nice low kick and following in with a shot to the body. Ishii backs off, but just gets pushed up against the cage. Lee presses the advantage and works a nice hook to the body. Ishii responds with an attempted sweep, and when that doesn't work, a punch that lands behind the ear. Lee gets in a low kick as she backs off, and the fight returns towards the center. They come together, both throwing punches. Lee gets a nice clean shot in, and Ishii stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Lee is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. The official time of the TKO is 2:53 of round 1.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Katrina Thiel

Round 1

Thiel hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Ruthledge to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Thiel hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Ruthledge tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Thiel having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Ruthledge. They come together, both throwing punches. Thiel gets a nice clean shot in, and Ruthledge stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Thiel is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. The official time of the TKO is 3:28 of round 1.

Diva Sanchez vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

Lancaster steps back, and Sanchez comes after her, sensing an opening. Lancaster suddenly puts the brakes on and swings for the fences, driving a right hand to the chin. Sanchez couldn't get out of the way in time and takes it full force. She goes down like a puppet with her strings cut, she is out cold. Lancaster goes to follow up to be sure, but the referee cuts her off, calling a halt to the match. Lancaster wins via knock out at 1:46 of the first round.

Mercedes Lopez vs. Kendra Oates - WCL Heavyweight Title

Round 1

The two competitors start slowly, circling and looking for an opening. Lopez fakes shooting in for a takedown, but Oates didn't buy it for a second. In comes Lopez from an angle to the right, but Oates had it covered all the way, and not only easily steps out of the way of the attempted right hand, but manages to score with a solid right hand to the side of the head. Lopez felt that, and is forced to cover up quickly as Oates steps in quickly and unloads with a flurry of powerful blows, looking to capitalize on the earlier strike. Lopez is forced back against the cage, but to her credit, she did a good job defending those strikes and didn't seem to take any significant damage. Oates doesn't get in too close, realizing that it would likely mean getting caught in a clinch, so she stands slightly back instead and throws some low kicks and looping punches. Lopez responds by throwing out some straight jabs, but neither fighter is really doing any damage to their opponent. Oates clearly grows tired of the wait, and moves in to hit a body blow. It connects, but Lopez is quick to tie her up in a clinch. That lasts quite a while, until the referee gets in there and breaks them up, telling them to fight. Lopez with a body shot. Oates scores with a stiff jab and bobs and weaves to avoid all three of the rapid-fire punches that come back from Lopez. Nicely done. Lopez, realizing that she is losing this round, comes forward with a sense of urgency, throwing right hands to put Oates on the back foot. Oates handles it well though, refusing to let Lopez get an angle, and using some nice counter punches to the body to further cement the fact that this round is going to her on points. Time expires with Lopez throwing increasingly desperate punches. The round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Oates.

Round 2

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Lopez is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Oates picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Lopez throws a wild punch as a counter, but Oates ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Lopez gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Lopez is looking for big punches, Oates is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Lopez manages to back Oates up against the cage. Lopez takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Oates ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Lopez can unload. Lopez may need to think about changing tactics, Oates is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Lopez fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Oates on the thigh. Oates presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Lopez gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The round ends. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Oates.

Round 3

Oates meets Lopez in the center. They exchange tentative long-range punches. Lopez steps in to press the action, but gets caught with a right hand. Oates scores with a left too, then a crisp jab. Lopez backs off, that exchange did not go in her favor by any means. Oates presses the advantage and gets in a couple more jabs, forcing Lopez onto the back-foot, all the way until she is up against the cage. Oates stands just in range and starts throwing occasional straight rights, forcing Lopez to try and react in time. Lopez parries a few shots away, but also gets caught with a couple. She steps forward and tries to get a clinch, but Oates keeps away from it and continues to flick quick jabs out. Lopez is really getting schooled so far, Oates' hand speed and technique have allowed her to completely control everything about this round; Lopez hasn't been able to generate anything of note. Lopez tries to change that by coming after Oates, but Oates meets her in the center and exchanges punches, again winning the encounter comfortably. The final minute of the round sees Lopez try two more times, and in neither can she manage to break Oates' control. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Oates.

Round 4

The round begins, and it is Oates who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Lopez defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Oates works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Lopez ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Oates down much though, as she swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Lopez. Interesting first minute of action, Oates is looking particularly sharp. Lopez tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Oates back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Lopez tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Oates scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Oates looks to be working an angle. They square up to each other in the center. Oates throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Lopez on the side of the head. Lopez got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Oates has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Lopez tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Oates defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. End of round 4. Blurcat gives that one to Oates by 10-9.

Round 5

The two fighters circle. Lopez flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventional looping right hand. Oates easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! She is up quickly, before Lopez could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble; the punch was well wide of the mark. Oates moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Lopez is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Lopez forces Oates back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. She looks to be keeping Oates in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Lopez does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Oates saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Lopez turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops her to one knee. Lopez is up quickly, causing Oates, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Lopez was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Lopez throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Oates to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. That's the end of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Oates. The official scores are in; two judges give 50-45, the other 49-46, all for Kendra Oates. Kendra Oates is now the WCL Heavyweight champion.

Loni Lee vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Lee starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Thomas checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Lee doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Lee cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Thomas with a beauty of a right hook. Thomas stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Lee presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Thomas clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Thomas scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Lee in the gut. Lee uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Lee gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Thomas reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Lee has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Thomas has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Lee from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Lee tries to step over and fully apply it, but Thomas breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Lee steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Thomas hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Lee will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. The 1st round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-8 to Lee.

Round 2

Thomas starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Lee. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Lee goes for a single leg and puts Thomas on the floor, but she is up very quickly, preventing Lee from getting on top. Thomas definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Lee hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Thomas again. This time Thomas isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Lee will have to hurry to finish. She goes for an armbar, but Thomas defends. Lee tries to slip past to get side control, but Thomas just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Lee has the side. Two big elbows land, and Thomas seems in trouble. Lee goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before she can try again, and the referee separates them. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lee.

Round 3

Lee misses with a low kick. Thomas hits a nice right hand, then steps back and unloads a head kick. Lee didn't see it coming and takes it full to the side of the head! She is out cold. What a kick; power and accuracy in one perfect package that was a beauty. Thomas wins by knock out. Official time of the knock out is 0:39 of the third round.

Anika Riley vs. Kimie Lancaster - WCL Lightweight Title

Round 1

Lancaster doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Riley was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Riley hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that she is rattled. Lancaster looks to be working an angle. They get in close and exchange punches; it's not clear who got the better of that. Lancaster hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Riley. Lancaster is getting more force behind her punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Lancaster gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. Time ticks away, and Riley offers nothing that would make you think that she has any chance of winning this round on points. The round is over. Blurcat gives that one to Lancaster by 10-9.

Round 2

Lancaster starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Riley is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Lancaster. Riley tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Riley, but it only caught Lancaster on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Lancaster, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of her kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Riley from doing very much. Riley tries to back Lancaster up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Right hand from Riley, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. The second round is over. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lancaster.

Round 3

Lancaster comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Riley moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Lancaster gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head; it looked to hit right on the ear. Riley didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Riley swings and hits a nice right hand. Lancaster fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Riley dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Lancaster's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Riley looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Lancaster on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Riley will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. The round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Riley.

Round 4

Slow start nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Riley works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when she advances. They clinch, and end up with Lancaster backed up against the cage. Riley gets a couple of right hands to the body, but her attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Lancaster, who uses her legs well to defend. Riley pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Lancaster gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Riley follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Riley hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Lancaster tags her with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Lancaster leans in to a looping left, but it puts her off balance and it's only at the last second that she gets her chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The round is over. Blurcat gives that one to Riley by 10-9.

Round 5

Lancaster starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Riley on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Lancaster to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Riley, but certainly enough to make her grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Lancaster; it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Riley is looking a little lost so far, Lancaster is controlling this round by virtue of her crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Lancaster looks to be working an angle. Lancaster leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Riley was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Riley comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Riley is that although Lancaster clearly won the round, she didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of round 5. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster. Kimie Lancaster wins the match, getting a score of 48-47 from all three judges. Kimie Lancaster wins the WCL Lightweight title.

Quick Recap

Heidi Hoffman beat Sarah Vaughan (TKO, Round 1 - 1:53) **
Charis Tang beat Katherine Williams (Decision) *
April Watson beat Adriana Cortez (Submission via Armbar, Round 2 - 3:21) *
Amanda Daniels beat Phoenix Strong (TKO, Round 1 - 1:31) **
Debbie Clayton beat Leilani Lambert (KO, Round 2 - 1:45) ***
Yong Lee beat Mai Ishii (TKO, Round 1 - 2:53) **
Katrina Thiel beat Helena Ruthledge (TKO, Round 1 - 3:28) **
Tomoe Lancaster beat Diva Sanchez (KO, Round 1 - 1:46) **
Kendra Oates beat Mercedes to win WCL Heavyweight Title (Decision) **
Katie Thomas beat Loni Lee (KO, Round 3 - 0:39) ****
Kimie Lancaster beat Anika Riley to win WCL Lightweight Title (Decision) **

Attendance: 103

Live Gate: $6,160

Mike Louis · January 17, 2009

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/43789/2747180190100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

From WCL Heaquarters

February 18, 1991

The Official Card for WCL 5: Daniels vs. Oates

Amanda Daniels vs. Kendra Oates for WCL Heavyweight Title
Yong Lee vs. Kimie Lancaster for WCL Lightweight Title
Katrina Thiel vs. Mercedes Lopez
Mai Ishii vs. Katie Thomas
April Watson vs. Loni Lee
Leilani Lambert vs. Tomoe Lancaster
Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes
Sarah Vaughan vs. Charis Tang
Anika Riley vs. Beth Swain

Predictions and comments are welcome.

UFC-KING · January 17, 2009

1. Amanda Daniels vs. Kendra Oates for WCL Heavyweight Title

2. Yong Lee vs. Kimie Lancaster for WCL Lightweight Title

3. Katrina Thiel vs. Mercedes Lopez

4. Mai Ishii vs. Katie Thomas

5. April Watson vs. Loni Lee

6. Leilani Lambert vs. Tomoe Lancaster

7. Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes

8. Sarah Vaughan vs. Charis Tang

9. Anika Riley vs. Beth Swain

Mike Louis · January 18, 2009

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/16359/2838674750100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

VHS Cover for WCL 5: Daniels vs. Oates

WCL 5: Daniels vs. Oates

March 4, 1991

Las Vegas, NV

Anika Riley vs. Beth Swain

Round 1

Swain comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Riley moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Swain gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head; it looked to hit right on the ear. Riley didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Riley swings and hits a nice right hand. Swain fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Riley dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Swain's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Riley looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Swain on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Riley will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. End of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Riley.

Round 2

Flat start to the round; thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Swain is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Riley blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Swain is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Riley is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Swain can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Swain some problems later on. Swain moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Riley is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Swain before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Swain off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Swain goes for a trip, but Riley cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Riley may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Riley.

Round 3

Riley misses with a straight right. Swain hits a standing kick, and Riley is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Swain leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Riley, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Riley out, but it left her stunned, and that was all that Swain needed to finish the job. The official time is 1:57.

Sarah Vaughan vs. Charis Tang

Round 1

Vaughan comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Tang moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Vaughan gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head; it looked to hit right on the ear. Tang didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Tang swings and hits a nice right hand. Vaughan fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Tang dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Vaughan's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Tang looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Vaughan on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Tang will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Tang.

Round 2

Slow start to the round. Not much happens before they wind up clinched together, struggling for supremacy. Vaughan uses a trip to make a takedown, but doesn't go down herself, instead staying back. She pushes the raised legs away and dives in to get side control, but Tang scrambles and manages to get up, pushing Vaughan down to the ground. Tang ends up on top, in guard. Vaughan tries to push free, but Tang forces her to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Tang reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Vaughan breaks it by bringing her arms up. Tang steps through in an effort to mount Vaughan, but can only get to half guard as one of her legs gets trapped. Tang throws some strikes, and then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Vaughan rolls over and uses her free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Tang determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Vaughan uses everything at her disposal to block it. The round ends without Tang having made the breakthrough, although she clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. The round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Tang.

Round 3

A couple of straight lefts from Vaughan start the round, but neither got past the gloves of Tang. They clinch, with Tang looking like she initiated it. They struggle for supremacy. Vaughan gets taken down, but traps Tang in guard. Vaughan tries to push free, but Tang forces her to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Tang reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Vaughan breaks it by bringing her arms up. Tang steps through in an effort to mount Vaughan, but can only get to half guard as one of her legs gets trapped. Tang throws some strikes, and then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Vaughan rolls over and uses her free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Tang determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Vaughan uses everything at her disposal to block it. The round ends without Tang having made the breakthrough, although she clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Tang by 10-9. Charis Tang wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes

Round 1

Bermundes starts strongly, immediately rushing in for a takedown. Ruthledge got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles her way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Ruthledge doesn't hang around for a second attempt, she uses a looping left to set herself up to come in close and score with a series of strikes, two or three nice body shots included. Bermundes covers up, throwing the occasional jab as a counter. Ruthledge goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Bermundes goes for a takedown via a trip, but Ruthledge defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Bermundes pushes Ruthledge up against the cage and tries to wrestle her to the ground, but Ruthledge keeps her balance and sprawls to stop it. Ruthledge gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Bermundes was leaning in too far. Ruthledge reverses so that Bermundes is against the cage. They remain clinched, with nothing more than minor strikes being thrown, for a long time. The referee finally breaks them apart and gets them back to the center. Ruthledge throws a kick, waist-high, but Bermundes avoids it. That could have been used for a takedown attempt if Bermundes had been quicker and caught it. Ruthledge hits two or three punches in a row, stinging the gloves of Bermundes. The round draws to a close. It'll be interesting to see where the judges go with this, as Ruthledge clearly got the better strikes in throughout the round, but Bermundes did probably show more aggression by virtue of her almost constant attempts to get the takedown. End of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Ruthledge.

Round 2

A fizzing right hand from Ruthledge opens the round; it didn't find its intended target of Bermundes' chin, but it did land hard on the left shoulder instead. Bermundes fights back with a jab, but takes a hard shot to the body after leaning in too far. Ruthledge pins her to the cage with a quick burst, and unloads with lefts and rights. Bermundes looks for a moment like she may be about to get overwhelmed, especially after a right hand appears to hit flush on the chin, but she recovers well and works her way back to the center. Ruthledge is looking the more confident of the two by far. She smells blood, and comes in looking for a big right hand, only to walk right into a takedown. Bermundes had to time that perfectly, and did. Ruthledge doesn't pull guard, instead scrambling, ending up onto her knees, with Bermundes taking her back! Bermundes tries to go for a choke, but Ruthledge bucks and twists, scrambling back to her feet and backing off. A big right hand and a high kick prevent Bermundes from following too closely. After that frenetic minute of action, things die down, with the fighters circling. Ruthledge scores with two leg kicks, Bermundes hits a tasty right hand to the body, but otherwise nothing much happens for the next couple of exchanges. Indeed, the clock runs down and the round ends without further noteworthy events. End of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Ruthledge.

Round 3

The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Bermundes gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. Ruthledge throws a couple of scorching jabs; neither hit, but it forces Bermundes to back pedal all the way back to the cage. Ruthledge follows in and throws a stinging kick to the ribs. Bermundes tries to catch it, but couldn't. Bermundes throws a right hand to try and catch Ruthledge coming in, but it's wide of the mark. Ruthledge throws a head kick, and it's a beauty, landing flush to the cheek. It was delivered with enormous power, and Bermundes drops to the floor immediately, she is out cold. The referee stops Ruthledge from following up, it's all over. Ruthledge wins via 3rd round knock out with the official time being 1:39.

Leilani Lambert vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Lambert gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. Lambert fires off a right, then a left. Lancaster swings for the fences with a wild right hand...and it hits! Lambert didn't see it coming until the last second, and it landed flush on the jaw! Lambert drops to the floor, out cold. Lancaster wins! Lancaster wins via knock out at 1:48 of the first round.

April Watson vs. Loni Lee

Round 1

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Lee, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Lee puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Watson covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. Low kick from Watson, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Lee will take the round on points. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lee.

Round 2

Flat start to the round; thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Watson is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Lee blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Watson is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Lee is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Watson can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Watson some problems later on. Watson moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Lee is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Watson before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Watson off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Watson goes for a trip, but Lee cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Lee may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. End of round 2. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lee.

Round 3

Tentative circling to begin with. They meet in the center, but quickly fall into a clinch. Lee gets a nice shot in to the ribs. Watson gets a pair of punches to the side of the head, but they lacked power. The referee breaks them up eventually. Lee presses forward, flicking out straight rights. Watson leans in to throw a looping left hand. Lee avoids it, and it allows her to throw a powerful counter punch that catches Watson right above the ear. Great punch. Lee moves in and throws a devastating right hand. Watson just about manages to parry it, but it still caught her on the shoulder. Watson throws a right hand counter, but Lee swats it aside and lands a big left to the chest. Watson clinches up again. So far, Lee's power is allowing her to control this round, Watson is simply being out-gunned thus far. They end up next to the cage. Watson gets in a couple of nasty right hands to the chest. That's the first time this round that she looks to have actually hurt Lee. Lee pushes Watson up against the cage and unloads with three big right hands. One got through and caught Watson above the left eye, the other two hit home across the chest. Watson clinches up again to avoid getting obliterated, and the round ends before they are broken up. End of round 3. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lee. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for Loni Lee.

Mai Ishii vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Very, very slow start to the round. Over a minute has gone before the first meaningful strike connects. It's Thomas who hits it, scoring with a shot to the chest. Ishii fires back with a couple of jabs, both of which connect with the shoulder rather than the face where they were aimed. The two fighters come together in the center and exchange punches, neither getting the clear advantage. Ishii suddenly shoots in and goes for a takedown, but Thomas manages to sprawl long enough to get them all the way back to the cage, which keeps her upright. Ishii tries to complete the takedown, but realizes that the leverage isn't there and instead stands and clinches. Thomas hits a couple of shots to the back. Ishii hits a stomp. Thomas lifts her leg to go for a knee, but that gives Ishii the opportunity to lift her and slam her down to the ground. That was a hard slam! Ishii is on top, almost sitting on top of a balled-up Thomas. She throws some hard downward punches, Thomas defends most of them, although one hits hard above the eye. Ishii leaves her arm in for a second too long and Thomas reaches up and almost gets an armbar. Ishii gets free though, although the effort puts her off-balance enough for her to stumble, giving Thomas the opportunity to scramble back up. There's a nasty mark above the eye where the earlier punch connected though. They go back to circling each other. There's not much time left. Thomas tries one last big attack, swinging for the fences with two bombs, but Ishii avoids both, adding a nice shot to the stomach after the second dodge. The round ends there. That's the end of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Ishii by 10-9.

Round 2

Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Ishii throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Thomas' jaw, but it is parried. Thomas steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Ishii moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Thomas put a lot of weight behind it. Ishii hits a nice jab, and then clinches. Thomas hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Ishii hits a low kick to the leg. Thomas bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Ishii goes down! Good shot from Thomas! She tries to follow up and pound on Ishii, but Ishii is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Thomas, sensing that Ishii is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Ishii ends up backed up against the cage. Thomas gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Ishii, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Thomas has in her hands is really posing Ishii some problems. The clinch drags on, with Thomas unable to break free, and the round ends like that. The round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Thomas.

Round 3

Not much happening at first. Ishii is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Thomas gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Ishii, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Ishii takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and she gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Ishii stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Thomas comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Ishii somehow manages to hold on long enough to get her senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Ishii from the clinch, and Thomas felt that, she looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Ishii gets in a nice right hand. An exchange of punches goes nowhere, and they fall into a clinch. The referee separates them when nothing happens. End of the round. Blurcat scores 10-9 Thomas. The judges' scores are unanimous, and give a score of 29-28 to Katie Thomas.

Katrina Thiel vs. Mercedes Lopez

Round 1

Two jabs from the left hand of Lopez set up a hard waist-high kick, but Thiel steps back to avoid it. Nice attempt though. Lopez moves in closer, bobbing and weaving, and looks to score with a looping right hand, but Thiel uses the gloves to parry it away, and then counter-strikes with a crisp jab and a kick to the knee. Good opening to the round, both fighters are looking lively. Lopez finds herself backed up against the cage briefly, and has to scramble to safety to avoid a flurry of strikes. Thiel is working for position, and is currently looking the more composed of the two. With the cage to her back, Thiel throws some range-finding jabs. Lopez throws one in response, and then swings for the fences with a wildly explosive kick. Thiel chose the wrong moment to step forward, and winds up taking the foot right to the jaw! Thiel collapses, knocked out. Official time of the knock out is 2:38 of the first.

Yong Lee vs. Kimie Lancaster (Champion) - WCL Lightweight Title

Round 1

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Lee puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Lancaster defended well. Straight right from Lancaster in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight; the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Lee probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Lancaster gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Lee. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lee.

Round 2

Slow start to the round, Lancaster is circling while Lee seems content to just throw the occasional looping punch to cause her to back up. Lancaster steps in and fires off two jabs, neither connecting, then has to almost throw herself to one side to avoid a devastating looking punch! Lee was clearly looking for the highlight reel K.O. punch, had that connected there is no way that Lancaster was getting back up. There's a warning to Lancaster, she must now know, if she didn't already, that Lee has knock out intentions tonight. Lancaster throws a right hand, then backs up sharply, clearly not loving the idea of getting too close. Lee still looks calm, throwing the occasional jab or two to keep Lancaster off balance. Lancaster narrowly misses a right cross. Lancaster tries to work an angle, then steps in...and gets creamed with a high head kick! Lee landed it right to the ear of all places, and Lancaster's legs give way, sending her crashing to the floor. The referee immediately covers her up, she is clearly out cold. Lee gets the win via K.O. Official time of the knock out is 3:26 of the second. Yong Lee wins the WCL Lightweight title.

Amanda Daniels vs. Kendra Oates (Champion) - WCL Heavyweight Title

Round 1

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Oates, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Oates puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Daniels covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. Daniels tries to back Oates up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Low kick from Daniels, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Oates will take the round on points. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Oates.

Round 2

There is some tentative circling to begin with, before they meet in the center for the first action of the round. It's a tight affair, both fighters heavily using the jab, but Oates looks to get the better of it, landing with one crisp strike to the face in particular. Daniels backs off, a little shaken. Replays show that it landed right on the nose. Oates press the action, forcing Daniels back against the cage and upping the tempo with rapid-fire lefts and rights, bobbing and weaving at the same time to keep from getting caught with a counter punch. Daniels clinches up. Oates is displaying a much more accomplished and confident striking game than Daniels, the technique and speed with which the punches are being delivered is leaving Daniels looking ragged in comparison. The pattern continues once they've been separated, with Oates looking the sharper of the two. She isn't overwhelming Daniels by any means, but she is comfortably controlling the pace and tempo of the round, and preventing Daniels from stamping any sort of mark on it. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores 10-9 Oates.

Round 3

Slow start nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Oates works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when she advances. They clinch, and end up with Daniels backed up against the cage. Oates gets a couple of right hands to the body, but her attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Daniels, who uses her legs well to defend. Oates pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Daniels gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Oates follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Oates hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Daniels tags her with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Daniels leans in to a looping left, but it puts her off balance and it's only at the last second that she gets her chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. That's the end of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Oates by 10-9.

Round 4

Daniels throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Oates throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Daniels steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Oates hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Daniels. They struggle all the way back, with Daniels ending up backed up against the cage. Oates hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Daniels stomps downward onto her foot. Daniels manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Oates gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Daniels ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Daniels tries a high kick to start, but Oates saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Oates who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Daniels on the nose. Daniels hits a straight right, enough to stop Oates from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round ends. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Oates.

Round 5

Oates doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Daniels was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Daniels hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that she is rattled. Oates glances at the referee, not sure why. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Oates hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Daniels. Oates is getting more force behind her punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. A looping left from Oates, but it's wide of the mark. Time ticks away, and Daniels offers nothing that would make you think that she has any chance of winning this round on points. The round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Oates. Kendra Oates wins the match, getting a score of 50-45 from all three judges. Kendra Oates is still the WCL Heavyweight champion.

Quick Recap

Beth Swain beat Anika Riley (TKO, Round 3 - 1:57) **
Charis Tang beat Sarah Vaughan (Decision) **
Helena Ruthledge beat Maria Bermundes (KO, Round 3 - 1:39) **
Tomoe Lancaster beat Leilani Lambert (KO, Round 1 - 1:48) **
Loni Lee beat April Watson (Decision) **
Katie Thomas beat Mai Ishii (Decision) ***
Mercedes Lopez beat Katrina Thiel (KO, Round 1 - 2:38) ***
Yong Lee beat Kimie Lancaster to win WCL Lightweight Title (KO, Round 2 - 3:26) ***
Kendra Oates beat Amanda Daniels to retain WCL Heavyweight Title (Decision) **

Attendance: 210

Live Gate: $12,460

Mike Louis · January 19, 2009

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/43789/2747180190100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

From WCL Headquarters

May 20, 1991

The Official Card for WCL 6: Oates vs. Lancaster

<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Kendra Oates vs. Tomoe Lancaster for WCL Heavyweight Title </li><li>Beth Swain vs. Katie Thomas </li><li>Yong Lee vs. Amy Lawson for WCL Lightweight Title </li><li>Debbie Clayton vs. Helena Ruthledge </li><li>Heidi Hoffman vs. Mercedes Lopez </li><li>Charis Tang vs. Kimie Lancaster </li><li>Seka Mutsu vs. Phoenix Strong </li><li>April Watson vs. Katherine Williams </li><li>Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez </li><li>Katrina Thiel vs. Diva Sanchez</li></ol>

Predictions and comments are welcome.

Mike Louis · January 22, 2009

<div style="text-align:center;">http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/42583/2729940400100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

VHS Cover for WCL 6: Oates vs. Lancaster</div>

WCL 6: Oates vs. Lancaster

June 3, 1991

Los Angeles, CA

Katrina Thiel vs. Diva Sanchez

Round 1

They come together, both throwing punches. Thiel gets a nice clean shot in, and Sanchez stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Thiel is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. The official time of the TKO is 0:53 of round 1.

Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez

Round 1

Riley throws a low kick early on, although it missed. Cortez flicks out a couple of jabs, trying to work an angle. She steps in to throw a body shot but gets caught with a left hook. Cortez stumbles backwards, falling on her ass, stunned. Riley charges in and throws a knock out powered right hand, but Cortez parries it and brings her legs around Riley's waist to pull guard. Riley passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Cortez has the entire right hand side of her body up against the cage, and both her legs wrapped around Riley's left arm. Riley's attacking options are fairly limited. She uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Cortez covers up to defend them. Riley tries to pin down one of Cortez's arms and bring her legs around to trap them fully, but Cortez uses her free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Riley finds herself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which she doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to her left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. The round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Riley.

Round 2

Riley hits a right hand, and then fakes a take down attempt. Cortez got out of the way, she clearly has it in mind to not let Riley shoot in on her. They come together and exchange strikes; neither fighter gets an advantage from it. Cortez throws a scorching right hand, but it misses. Riley throws a head kick, and that one doesn't! Cortez took it to the side of the head and goes down. It didn't look all that powerful though, and the fact that Cortez is able to clear her head pretty swiftly and pull guard on the on-rushing Riley backs that up. Riley doggedly tries to pass guard, but Cortez keeps her at bay. The referee tells them that she wants to see more in the way of action or she'll stand them up. Not much of an incentive for Cortez to do anything, but it does inspire Riley to throw a couple of hard punches, albeit ones that are easily parried by the gloves of Cortez. Riley manages to work past Cortez's right leg, but gets caught in half guard before she can get the mount that she was looking for. The fight once again slows right down, with Cortez's tenacious defense frustrating Riley. Cortez sucks Riley into a clinch, and even tries a cheeky guillotine. Riley pushes her away though, and nails a beauty of a right hand to the cheek in response. I don't think Cortez will be trying that move again for a while. Riley grabs an arm and tries to twist it backward to create some torque. Cortez uses her free arm to grab her own wrist, preventing that from happening. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of the round. Blurcat scores 10-9 Riley.

Round 3

The two competitors start slowly, circling and looking for an opening. Riley fakes shooting in for a takedown, but Cortez didn't buy it for a second. In comes Riley from an angle to the right, but Cortez had it covered all the way, and not only easily steps out of the way of the attempted right hand, but manages to score with a solid right hand to the side of the head. Riley felt that, and is forced to cover up quickly as Cortez steps in quickly and unloads with a flurry of powerful blows, looking to capitalize on the earlier strike. Riley is forced back against the cage, but to her credit, she did a good job defending those strikes and didn't seem to take any significant damage. Cortez doesn't get in too close, realizing that it would likely mean getting caught in a clinch, so she stands slightly back instead and throws some low kicks and looping punches. Riley responds by throwing out some straight jabs, but neither fighter is really doing any damage to their opponent. Cortez clearly grows tired of the wait, and moves in to hit a body blow. It connects, but Riley is quick to tie her up in a clinch. That lasts quite a while, until the referee gets in there and breaks them up, telling them to fight. Cortez looks to be working an angle. Cortez scores with a stiff jab and bobs and weaves to avoid all three of the rapid-fire punches that come back from Riley. Nicely done. Riley, realizing that she is losing this round, comes forward with a sense of urgency, throwing right hands to put Cortez on the back foot. Cortez handles it well though, refusing to let Riley get an angle, and using some nice counter punches to the body to further cement the fact that this round is going to her on points. Time expires with Riley throwing increasingly desperate punches. The round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Cortez. Anika Riley wins, with a score of 29-28 from two judges, 30-27 from the other.

April Watson vs. Katherine Williams

Round 1

Good start from Williams, taking Watson down almost immediately! Watson scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Williams will be disappointed with that. Watson comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Williams to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Watson felt that one for sure. She stalks Williams, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Williams keeps out of the way. Watson tries a kick, but Williams catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Williams gets Watson down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Williams throws some punches, and then tries to pass. Watson doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Williams easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Williams followed by a pass attempt, with Watson blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Williams.

Round 2

Watson comes out fast and quickly backs Williams up, all the way up against the cage. Watson throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. She doesn't follow up though; instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Williams throws a low kick, and then advances with some jabs, forcing Watson to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Watson looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Williams shoots in for the takedown, but Watson sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Watson; then two jabs which both find their mark. Williams bats away a third, and then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Watson sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Williams has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. She works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Williams tries for a trip, but Watson avoids it and works free from the clinch. She returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Williams follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Watson connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Williams above the eye. She felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Williams throws a low kick. Watson comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Watson pulls guard. Unfortunately for Williams, now that she has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. She tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Watson comfortably defends it until the round is over. End of the round. Blurcat scores 10-9 Watson.

Round 3

Watson leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Williams deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round; the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Williams uses a knee to the ribs before backing Watson up against the cage. Right hand from Watson connects though, that was well timed. Williams breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Watson was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Williams sting the gloves, and then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Watson fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. They come together, both throwing punches. Williams gets a nice clean shot in, and Watson stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Williams is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Official time of the TKO is 3:48 of the third round.

Seka Mutsu vs. Phoenix Strong

Round 1

Strong comes out fast and quickly backs Mutsu up, all the way up against the cage. Strong throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. She doesn't follow up though; instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Mutsu throws a low kick, and then advances with some jabs, forcing Strong to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Strong looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Mutsu shoots in for the takedown, but Strong sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Strong; then two jabs which both find their mark. Mutsu bats away a third, and then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Strong sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Mutsu has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. She works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Mutsu tries for a trip, but Strong avoids it and works free from the clinch. She returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Mutsu follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Strong connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Mutsu above the eye. She felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Mutsu throws a low kick. Strong comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Strong pulls guard. Unfortunately for Mutsu, now that she has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. She tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Strong comfortably defends it until the round is over. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Strong.

Round 2

Strong doesn't exactly disguise her intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Mutsu to come and trade blows. Mutsu wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Strong isn't quite as content though, as she begins to stalk Mutsu. They meet near the cage. Mutsu hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Strong stops that with a powerful right hand to the body, then a fizzing left hook that glances off the side of the head. An attempt at a knock out right hand finds nothing but gloves. It is clear that Strong believes that she has the power to get a knock out here; her game plan appears to be to look for the one punch finish. Mutsu is trying to keep moving, to not let Strong get set to throw a bomb. Strong is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Mutsu is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Strong throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Mutsu returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Strong has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-8 to Strong.

Round 3

The two fighters circle. Mutsu flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventional looping right hand. Strong easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! She is up quickly, before Mutsu could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble; the punch was well wide of the mark. Strong moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Mutsu is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Mutsu forces Strong back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. She looks to be keeping Strong in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Mutsu does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Strong saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Mutsu turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops her to one knee. Mutsu is up quickly, causing Strong, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Mutsu was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Mutsu throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Strong to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of round 3. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Strong. All three judges give a score of 30-26 in favor of Phoenix Strong.

Charis Tang vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Lancaster puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Tang defended well. Straight right from Tang in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight; the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Lancaster probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Tang gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Lancaster. The first round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 2

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Lancaster, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Lancaster puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Tang covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. Lancaster narrowly misses a right cross. Low kick from Tang, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Lancaster will take the round on points. That's the end of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lancaster.

Round 3

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Tang is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Lancaster picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Tang throws a wild punch as a counter, but Lancaster ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Tang gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Tang is looking for big punches, Lancaster is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Tang manages to back Lancaster up against the cage. Tang takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Lancaster ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Tang can unload. Tang may need to think about changing tactics, Lancaster is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Tang fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Lancaster on the thigh. Lancaster presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Tang gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of round 3. Blurcat gives that one to Lancaster by 10-9. The judges' scores are unanimous, and give a score of 30-27 to Kimie Lancaster.

Heidi Hoffman vs. Mercedes Lopez

Round 1

The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Hoffman gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. Lopez hits a wicked right hand, out of nowhere, and Hoffman goes down! Lopez dives on top and starts unloading right hands, but Hoffman scrambles and gets back to her feet. Lopez quickly follows up, looking to capitalize, but gets tagged with a left cross to the jaw. Hoffman, still looking a bit wobbly, throws a wild missile-like head kick...and it hits! Lopez was so focused on pressing the advantage that she wasn't watching for the kick, and that's enough to knock her out cold. Hoffman wins with a kick out of left field. Hoffman wins via 1st round knock out with the official time being 1:31.

Debbie Clayton vs. Helena Ruthledge

Round 1

The two fighters circle. Clayton flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventional looping right hand. Ruthledge easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! She is up quickly, before Clayton could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble; the punch was well wide of the mark. Ruthledge moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Clayton is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Clayton forces Ruthledge back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. She looks to be keeping Ruthledge in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Clayton does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Ruthledge saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Clayton turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops her to one knee. Clayton is up quickly, causing Ruthledge, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Clayton was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Clayton throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Ruthledge to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of round 1. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Ruthledge.

Round 2

Slow start nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Clayton works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when she advances. They clinch, and end up with Ruthledge backed up against the cage. Clayton gets a couple of right hands to the body, but her attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Ruthledge, who uses her legs well to defend. Clayton pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Ruthledge gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Clayton follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Clayton hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Ruthledge tags her with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Ruthledge leans in to a looping left, but it puts her off balance and it's only at the last second that she gets her chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Clayton.

Round 3

The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Clayton is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although she probably wishes that she hadn’t; as Ruthledge picks her off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Clayton throws a wild punch as a counter, but Ruthledge ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Clayton gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Clayton is looking for big punches, Ruthledge is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Clayton manages to back Ruthledge up against the cage. Clayton takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Ruthledge ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Clayton can unload. Clayton may need to think about changing tactics, Ruthledge is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Clayton fakes a right hand, and then shoots out a low kick, catching Ruthledge on the thigh. Ruthledge presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Clayton gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The 3rd round ends. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Ruthledge. All three judges give a score of 29-28 to Helena Ruthledge.

Yong Lee (Champion) vs. Amy Lawson - WCL Lightweight Title

Round 1

Lawson is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Lee advancing. A sharp right misses, and Lawson takes the opportunity to pull Lee in to a tight clinch against the cage. Lee tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Lee wants to stand and bang, Lawson wants to keep things at close quarters. Lee tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Lawson, and we're down to the ground. Lawson has side control, but Lee has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Lawson will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Lee tries to squirm into a better position, but Lawson puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Lawson tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Lee defends it. Lee manages to bring a knee up and catch Lawson in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Lawson responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Lee covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Lawson may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Lawson tries to float over into a mount, but Lee uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Lawson enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Lawson is the last action of the round. The first round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lawson.

Round 2

Lawson doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Lee easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Lee throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. They clinch, although it's an ugly-looking one. Lawson forces her way to the side, still grappling for supremacy, and then manages to get all the way behind. Lee gave up her back quite easily. Lawson takes Lee down with a variation on the suplex, but Lee keeps her wits and makes sure that she is able to pull guard pretty quickly upon landing. Lawson moves from the guard and gets side control. She is trying for the mount, but Lee is defending it. There's a small lull as Lawson continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Lee finally couldn't stop it. Lawson starts firing off punches, and Lee has nowhere to go. A big right hand gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Lee. The referee is watching intently, I don't think she's going to let this go much longer unless Lee can come up with some answers. Lawson hits another big right hand. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! Official time of the TKO is 1:54 of the second round. Amy Lawson wins the WCL Lightweight title.

Beth Swain vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Swain is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Thomas advancing. A sharp right misses, and Swain takes the opportunity to pull Thomas in to a tight clinch against the cage. Thomas tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Thomas wants to stand and bang, Swain wants to keep things at close quarters. Thomas tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Swain, and we're down to the ground. Swain has side control, but Thomas has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Swain will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Thomas tries to squirm into a better position, but Swain puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Swain tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Thomas defends it. Thomas manages to bring a knee up and catch Swain in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Swain responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Thomas covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Swain may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Swain tries to float over into a mount, but Thomas uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Swain enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Swain is the last action of the round. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Swain.

Round 2

Good start from Swain, taking Thomas down almost immediately! Thomas scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Swain will be disappointed with that. Thomas comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Swain to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Thomas felt that one for sure. She stalks Swain, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Swain keeps out of the way. Thomas tries a kick, but Swain catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Swain gets Thomas down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Swain throws some punches, then tries to pass. Thomas doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Swain easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Swain followed by a pass attempt, with Thomas blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Swain.

Round 3

Swain starts strong, hitting a nice low kick and following in with a shot to the body. Thomas backs off, but just gets pushed up against the cage. Swain presses the advantage and works a nice hook to the body. Thomas responds with an attempted sweep, and when that doesn't work, a punch that lands behind the ear. Swain gets in a low kick as she backs off, and the fight returns towards the center. Thomas looks to be working an angle. Swain steps in to throw a right hand, but doesn't get a chance to pull the trigger as Thomas is already in with a takedown. Swain hits the floor hard, and Thomas winds up in her guard. Thomas passes guard without too much trouble, and cracks Swain with a hard punch to the cheek. Swain tries to scramble into a better position without dropping her guard against another punch, but can't, and Thomas maneuvers so that she has one knee planted on Swain's chest, keeping her from rolling. Thomas quickly secures the left arm and transitions into a tight arm bar. Swain has no way out, she taps. Thomas wins via third round armbar submission at 2:29.

Kendra Oates (Champion) vs. Tomoe Lancaster - WCL Heavyweight Title

Round 1

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Lancaster puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Oates defended well. Straight right from Oates in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Lancaster probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Oates gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Lancaster. The round ends. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster.

Round 2

Oates and Lancaster circle to start. Lancaster throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Oates sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Lancaster comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Oates to slip a nice jab in, catching Lancaster just underneath the right eye. Oates comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Lancaster misses with a right cross, then backs off. Oates stalks her, forcing Lancaster back up against the cage. Oates doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Lancaster throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Oates pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Lancaster covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Oates in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Oates throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with her arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Lancaster comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Oates parries them with her gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Oates' favor. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Oates.

Round 3

Oates clinches. They go down in an awkward moment, not sure what was going on there. Oates is in the guard of Lancaster. She moves into a side mount, and Lancaster didn't do much to stop it. Oates brings down a hard shot, but it deflects of the forearms of Lancaster. Oates looks for a kimura, but Lancaster shifts her weight and sweeps Oates. Lancaster now has a half mount. Oates tries a sweep of her own, but Lancaster blocks it, and then gets into a full mount. Lancaster takes one arm, fights off a big effort by Oates to block it, and cinches in an armbar. Oates tries to get free, but is stuck, and is forced to tap out. The official time of the armbar submission is 0:53 of round 3. Tomoe Lancaster is now the WCL Heavyweight champion.

Quick Recap

<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Katrina Thiel beat Diva Sanchez (TKO, Round 1 - 0:53) ** </li><li>Anika Riley beat Adriana Cortez (Decision) ** </li><li>Katherine Williams beat April Watson (TKO, Round 3 - 3:48) ** </li><li>Phoenix Strong beat Seka Mutsu (Decision) ** </li><li>Kimie Lancaster beat Charis Tang (Decision) ** </li><li>Heidi Hoffman beat Mercedes Lopez (KO, Round 1 - 1:31) ** </li><li>Helena Ruthledge beat Debbie (Decision) ** </li><li>Amy Lawson beat Yong Lee to win WCL Lightweight Title (TKO, Round 2 - 1:54) * </li><li>Katie Thomas beat Beth Swain (Submission via Armbar, Round 3 - 2:29) ** </li><li>Tomoe Lancaster beat Kendra Oates to win WCL Heavyweight Title (Submission via Armbar, Round 3 - 0:53) **</li></ol>

Attendance: 91

Live Gate: $5,390

Mike Louis · January 23, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

August 9, 1991

In a brief press release, WCL has announced that Matilda Swain has returned from her leave of absence. In a statement released earlier today, Swain said that she looked forward to her next fight.

In a unrelated matter, Loni Lee announced that she'll be leaving the promotion for personal reasons. The WCL wish her luck.

Mike Louis · January 23, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

August 19, 1991

The Official Card for WCL 7: Lopez vs. Lancaster II

Mercedes Lopez vs. Tomoe Lancaster for WCL Heavyweight Title
Charis Tang vs. Katie Thomas
Debbie Clayton vs. Kendra Oates
Helena Ruthledge vs. Phoenix Strong
Heidi Hoffman vs. Katrina Thiel
Beth Swain vs. Amy Lawson for WCL Lightweight Title
April Watson vs. Kimie Lancaster
Anika Riley vs. Mai Ishii
Adriana Cortez vs. Matilda Swain
Sarah Vaughan vs. Yong Lee
Amanda Daniels vs. Maria Bermundes
Seka Mutsu vs. Leilani Lambert

Predictions and comments are welcome.

Mike Louis · January 27, 2009

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VHS Cover for WCL 7: Lopez vs. Lancaster II

WCL 7: Lopez vs. Lancaster II

September 2, 1991

Las Vegas, NV

Seka Mutsu vs. Leilani Lambert

Round 1

Lambert comes inside Mutsu and hits a body shot, then a right cross. Mutsu swings with a right hand to counter, but Lambert ducks it and comes back with a big punch of her own. Mutsu goes down like a ton of bricks that punch was right on the money. Lambert moves in quickly to deliver another two punches before the referee pulls her away. They weren't necessary, Mutsu was out cold, but Lambert wasn't doing anything wrong there, she was merely instinctively following up. That was a deadly accurate punch, Lambert hit that as sweetly as is possible. The official time of the knock out is 0:27 of round 1.

Amanda Daniels vs. Maria Bermundes

Round 1

Bermundes is quickest out, and comes at Daniels with a series of jabs and straight punches. Daniels covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Daniels hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Bermundes who takes it to the ground. Daniels pulls guard. There's a lull, as Bermundes tries to pass, and Daniels defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Daniels almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Bermundes, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Bermundes.

Round 2

Dull first sixty seconds to the round, as neither fighter looks willing to commit much to attack. They're both looking for angles to come in from, but they're constantly countering each other. A crisp jab from Bermundes that almost found its way through the guard is the sole highlight as we reach the minute mark. Daniels tries to back Bermundes up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Daniels ducks out of the way of a punch, then back steps quickly, just in time to avoid the uppercut that was coming. Better from Bermundes, although no damage has actually been done yet. Daniels misses with a straight right. Bermundes hits a standing kick, and Daniels is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Bermundes leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Daniels, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Daniels out, but it left her stunned, and that was all that Bermundes needed to finish the job. Bermundes wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 2:50.

Sarah Vaughan vs. Yong Lee

Round 1

The two fighters touch gloves as the round begins. Vaughan starts brightly, throwing out a series of jabs and raking punches, but Lee is too light on her feet and avoids all of them. Lee steps in and hits a lovely overhand right, then a low kick to the outside of the thigh. Vaughan throws a vicious right cross, but Lee goes under it and catches Vaughan with a scathing left hand to the gut. The next few minutes follow a very similar pattern; Lee using her excellent movement to 'hit and run', coming in from a variety of angles to score with crisp punches, dodging out of the way of Vaughan's counters. Vaughan is being made to look sluggish by comparison, and the amount of punches that Lee has landed in comparison to her is becoming huge. None of them have been particularly big punches, certainly nothing likely to end a fight, but the sheer number of them must be hurting Vaughan. Vaughan finally hits a meaningful blow, catching Lee coming in with a low kick. Lee still gets a crisp jab in though, and is back out of range before Vaughan can apply a second strike. The round comes to an end with Lee having dominated. The round ends. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lee.

Round 2

Vaughan comes out quick and immediately starts pressing Lee back toward the cage. Vaughan tries to use the position to her advantage, pinning Lee in to prevent her from moving freely, but the exchange of punches that follows is clearly won by Lee, who catches Vaughan with a wicked right cross during the flurry of blows. Vaughan tries again, but Lee is looking sharp and parries away any dangerous shot, getting in a few crisp jabs of her own along the way. Vaughan finally backs off, realizing that this isn't working. Lee is showing superior ability with her hands, they're fast and accurate, Vaughan isn't able to cope with them at close quarters, being made to look slow and ragged in comparison. Vaughan switches to using raking right hands and looping punches, keeping Lee back, but its effectiveness is limited as Vaughan's punches are easily parried away, and Lee can still hit the occasional right hand. The round ends with that being the pattern. Lee has used her better punching technique and hand speed to confound Vaughan, and has controlled this round almost entirely. End of round 2. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lee.

Round 3

The round begins, and it is Lee who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Vaughan defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Lee works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Vaughan ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Lee down much though, as she swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Vaughan. Interesting first minute of action, Lee is looking particularly sharp. Vaughan tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Lee back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Vaughan tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Lee scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Lee glances at the referee, not sure why. They square up to each other in the center. Lee throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Vaughan on the side of the head. Vaughan got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Lee has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Vaughan tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Lee defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. The round ends. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lee. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Yong Lee.

Adriana Cortez vs. Matilda Swain

Round 1

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Cortez puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Swain defended well. Straight right from Swain in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Cortez probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Swain gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Cortez. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Cortez.

Round 2

Swain moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Cortez steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Swain didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind her ear. Swain is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Cortez from inflicting any more damage. Cortez wins via 2nd round knock out with the official time being 0:29.

Anika Riley vs. Mai Ishii

Round 1

Ishii starts fast, squeezing a jab past the guard and catching Riley above the right eye. Riley swings and misses with a big right hand, which puts her off balance long enough for Ishii to floor her with a hard left. Ishii goes to follow up, but gets caught in the guard position. The replay shows that the punch wasn't actually that powerful, it looked worse than it was because Riley was already falling slightly. Ishii stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Riley's guard with her. Riley reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Ishii knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Riley blocks it. Ishii floats over and gets into side control. Riley scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against her. Ishii lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Riley up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Riley makes sure to bring her body around to give her as much protection as possible. It works, as Ishii can't get either arm isolated properly. Ishii changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Riley fights it for as long as she possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defense though, as the round ends before Ishii can do anything with the position she has achieved, which will frustrate her enormously. End of round 1. Blurcat gives that one to Ishii by 10-9.

Round 2

Riley is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging Ishii with a jab to the cheek. Ishii uses a nice straight left to return fire. Riley comes in to work the body, but Ishii saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Riley onto the floor, falling into guard. Ishii tries to grab an arm to work a submission, but Riley is defending it well by using short, sharp strikes to keep her back. Ishii tries to pass the guard, but has no luck. A punch from Ishii connects, but there was no real power behind it. Ishii fakes Riley out cleverly, and slips to a half mount. Riley manages to hit a firm elbow, then is forced to defend the full mount attempt. Ishii switches tactics and tries to work a kimura on the other arm, but Riley blocks it, squirms her leg free, and secures the guard again. Ishii looks frustrated at losing the half mount after having worked so hard to get it in the first place. Riley is liable to lose the round on points, but she has done a fine job of defending the submissions attempts so far. Ishii tries to secure a leglock, but the guard is tight and Riley is safe. The second round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Ishii.

Round 3

Slow start to this round, Riley is being tentative and Ishii looks like she is waiting for an angle to appear. The first exchange of strikes doesn't really go anywhere. A second set falls in Riley's favor, as she gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Ishii goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Riley hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Ishii tries to push her over onto her back, but Riley manages to pull free and back off. Ishii throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Riley, and she backs off. Ishii doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Riley takes the fight to her with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing her back against the cage. Riley clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Ishii unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Riley tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Riley. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favor of Mai Ishii.

April Watson vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Watson throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Lancaster's jaw, but it is parried. Lancaster steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Watson moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Lancaster put a lot of weight behind it. Watson hits a nice jab, then clinches. Lancaster hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Watson hits a low kick to the leg. Lancaster bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Watson goes down! Good shot from Lancaster! She tries to follow up and pound on Watson, but Watson is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Lancaster, sensing that Watson is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Watson ends up backed up against the cage. Lancaster gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Watson, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Lancaster has in her hands is really posing Watson some problems. The clinch drags on, with Lancaster unable to break free, and the round ends like that. End of round 1. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 2

Watson throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Lancaster throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Watson steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Lancaster hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Watson. They struggle all the way back, with Watson ending up backed up against the cage. Lancaster hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Watson stomps downward onto her foot. Watson manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Lancaster gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Watson ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Watson tries a high kick to start, but Lancaster saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Lancaster who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Watson on the nose. Watson hits a straight right, enough to stop Lancaster from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. End of round 2. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 3

As the round begins, it's noticeable that Watson still looks pretty wobbly, some of the shots she has taken so far seem to have taken their toll. Can Lancaster capitalize? Lancaster advances and throws a solid right, hitting gloves. A left hook gets parried. A crisp jab finds its way through and tags Watson above the right eye. That won't help. Watson puts together a nice sequence, following a one-two combination with a meaty right hook. Lancaster dealt with it well, parrying or avoiding each one. Lancaster sneaks a right hand in under the guard, landing just below the throat. The referee tells her to avoid hitting there. Watson finds an energy spurt and forces Lancaster back with a flurry of jabs. Her head may be beginning to clear. Lancaster hits a right cross, then gets pulled into a clinch. That wastes a whole heap of time, and by the time they are broken apart by the referee, the time for the round is almost over. Lancaster will win this round on points, but she will be disappointed that she couldn't finish a rocked Watson off. The third round is over. Blurcat scores 10-9 Lancaster. Kimie Lancaster wins the match, getting a score of 30-27 from all three judges.

Beth Swain vs. Amy Lawson (Champion) - WCL Lightweight Title

Round 1

A touch of gloves to start the round, and we're underway. Swain lets rip with a vicious straight right almost immediately, but it's easily avoided. Lawson sneaks a jab through the guard and catches Swain on the left cheek, but the follow up right hook only finds gloves. They get close to each other and end up in a clinch, from which Lawson manages to get the better position, pushing Swain up against the cage. Right hand to the ribs from Lawson. Swain hits a couple of knees to the side. There's a struggle for supremacy going on, it's difficult to see who is winning it. Lawson tries a knee of her own, but that is the opportunity that Swain was waiting for and she sweeps the standing leg to take Lawson down to the ground, in side control. Excellent takedown. Lawson covers up to defend against a pair of back-hand blows, and even manages to sneak a knee strike in. Swain hits a big elbow to the ribs, Lawson definitely felt that. Swain drives a knee to the near side, then attempts to float-over into a mount. Lawson brought her legs in though, and manages to pull guard. Swain will be disappointed with that. She tries to get a big punch in, but Lawson defends it well and gets a hold of both arms. The fight grinds to a halt, with Swain unable to generate any attacks, and Lawson unwilling to give up a good defensive position. The referee stands them up. Swain will likely be very angry that she didn't make more of that takedown. They exchange half-hearted jabs as the round draws to an end. That's the end of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Swain.

Round 2

Swain is quickest out, and comes at Lawson with a series of jabs and straight punches. Lawson covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Lawson hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Swain who takes it to the ground. Lawson pulls guard. There's a lull, as Swain tries to pass, and Lawson defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Lawson almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Swain, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The round is over. Blurcat gives that one to Swain by 10-9.

Round 3

The two fighters circle. Swain flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventional looping right hand. Lawson easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! She is up quickly, before Swain could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Lawson moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Swain is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Swain forces Lawson back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. She looks to be keeping Lawson in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Swain does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Lawson saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Swain turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops her to one knee. Swain is up quickly, causing Lawson, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Swain was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Swain throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Lawson to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lawson.

Round 4

The fighters come together right in the center. Swain throws out a jab, but Lawson bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Lawson works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Swain covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Lawson is making Swain look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which she is delivering strikes. Swain hits a low kick before back-pedaling to avoid a clubbing blow. Lawson looks to be working an angle. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Lawson got slightly the better of it, she definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Swain slightly. Swain initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Swain looks out of ideas, she is being repeatedly lured into these exchanges of strikes, but Lawson is clearly winning them. Swain needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Lawson tries a speculative high kick, but Swain saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Swain tries to work an angle, but Lawson is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep her from stepping in. Comfortable round for Lawson, she will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given her dominance of the striking in this round. End of the round. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lawson.

Round 5

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Lawson, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Lawson puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Swain covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. Swain throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Lawson easily avoided them. Low kick from Swain, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Lawson will take the round on points. The round is over. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Lawson. The judges' scores are unanimous, and give a score of 48-47 to Amy Lawson. Amy Lawson retains the WCL Lightweight title.

Heidi Hoffman vs. Katrina Thiel

Round 1

Hoffman makes Thiel back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. She comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Hoffman throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Thiel lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Hoffman by surprise, putting her down! Thiel follows up and starts raining down right hands. Hoffman covers up as best she can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Thiel off, the match is over. Thiel wins via TKO at 1:24 of the first round.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Phoenix Strong

Round 1

The two fighters engage with a set of strikes. Strong leads with the straight right. Ruthledge catches her right on the chin with an uppercut! That was out of nowhere, delivered with stunning power and accuracy, and Strong is out before her body hits the floor. Ruthledge dives in to finish the job, but the referee is in there right away to stop the match. One awesome punch from Ruthledge has ended this match in a split-second. Official time of the knock out is 0:35 of the first.

Debbie Clayton vs. Kendra Oates

Round 1

Oates comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Clayton moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Oates gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head, it looked to hit right on the ear. Clayton didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Clayton swings and hits a nice right hand. Oates fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Clayton dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Oates's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Clayton looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Oates on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Clayton will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Clayton.

Round 2

Oates and Clayton circle to start. Clayton throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Oates sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Clayton comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Oates to slip a nice jab in, catching Clayton just underneath the right eye. Oates comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Clayton misses with a right cross, then backs off. Oates stalks her, forcing Clayton back up against the cage. Oates doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Clayton throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Oates pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Clayton covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Oates in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Oates throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with her arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Clayton comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Oates parries them with her gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Oates' favor. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Oates.

Round 3

An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Oates fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Clayton. They clinch, and Clayton winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Oates tries to push Clayton back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Clayton gets a nice single leg, and transitions into a side mount. Oates blocks an arm bar attempt, but is having trouble keeping the full mount from happening. Clayton scores with a nice elbow, and there is the full mount. Oates is wide open, and takes two hard punches to the face. Clayton takes the arm. Oates is fighting it, but it looks like it's only a matter of time. The kimura is applied, and Oates has no choice but to tap. Clayton wins via 3rd round kimura submission with the official time being 4:25.

Charis Tang vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Thomas, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Thomas puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Tang covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of her own before moving out of range again. Other than a few half-hearted jabs, there's been a definite lull over the past minute. Low kick from Tang, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Thomas will take the round on points. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Thomas.

Round 2

Tang starts strongly, immediately rushing in for a takedown. Thomas got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles her way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Thomas doesn't hang around for a second attempt, she uses a looping left to set herself up to come in close and score with a series of strikes, two or three nice body shots included. Tang covers up, throwing the occasional jab as a counter. Thomas goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Tang goes for a takedown via a trip, but Thomas defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Tang pushes Thomas up against the cage and tries to wrestle her to the ground, but Thomas keeps her balance and sprawls to stop it. Thomas gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Tang was leaning in too far. Thomas reverses so that Tang is against the cage. They remain clinched, with nothing more than minor strikes being thrown, for a long time. The referee finally breaks them apart and gets them back to the center. Thomas throws a kick, waist-high, but Tang avoids it. That could have been used for a takedown attempt if Tang had been quicker and caught it. Thomas hits two or three punches in a row, stinging the gloves of Tang. The round draws to a close. It'll be interesting to see where the judges go with this, as Thomas clearly got the better strikes in throughout the round, but Tang did probably show more aggression by virtue of her almost constant attempts to get the takedown. End of round 2. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Thomas.

Round 3

Thomas starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Tang is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Thomas. Tang tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Tang, but it only caught Thomas on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Thomas, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of her kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Tang from doing very much. Thomas looks to be working an angle. Right hand from Tang, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. The round ends. Blurcat scores it 10-9 for Thomas. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Katie Thomas.

Mercedes Lopez vs. Tomoe Lancaster (Champion) - WCL Heavyweight Title

Round 1

Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Lopez is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Lancaster blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Lopez is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Lancaster is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Lopez can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Lopez some problems later on. Lopez moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Lancaster is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Lopez before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Lopez off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Lopez goes for a trip, but Lancaster cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Lancaster may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The round is over. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 2

Lopez throws two high punches, then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Lancaster defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. Lancaster pushes Lopez up against the cage in a clinch. Lancaster throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Lopez pushes her away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Lancaster took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Lancaster against the cage, and Lopez follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Lopez away, she wins the match by TKO. Lopez wins via TKO at 1:50 of the second round. Mercedes Lopez wins the WCL Heavyweight title.

Quick Recap

Leilani Lambert beat Seka Mutsu (KO, Round 1 - 0:27) *
Maria Bermundes beat Amanda Daniels (TKO, Round 2 - 2:50) **
Yong Lee beat Sarah Vaughan (Decision) **
Adriana Cortez beat Matilda Swain (KO, Round 2 - 0:29) **
Mai Ishii beat Anika Riley (Decision) **
Kimie Lancaster beat April Watson (Decision) **
Amy Lawson beat Beth Swain to retain WCL Lightweight Title (Decision) *
Katrina Thiel beat Heidi Hoffman (TKO, Round 1 - 1:24) **
Helena Ruthedge beat Phoenix Strong (KO, Round 1 - 0:35) **
Debbie Clayton beat Kendra Oates (Submission via Kimura, Round 3 - 4:25) ***
Katie Thomas beat Charis Tang (Decision) ***
Mercedes Lopez beat Tomoe Lancaster to win WCL Heavyweight Title (TKO, Round 2 - 1:50) ***

Attendance: 310

Live Gate: $18,410

Mike Louis · January 27, 2009

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From WCL Headquarters

November 18, 1991

The Official Card for WCL 8: Ruthledge vs. Thiel II

Helena Ruthledge vs. Katrina Thiel
Mai Ishii vs. Kimie Lancaster
Matilda Swain vs. Amy Lawson for WCL Lightweight Title
Anika Riley vs. Katie Thomas
Mercedes Lopez vs. Kendra Oates for WCL Heavyweight Title
Debbie Clayton vs. Heidi Hoffman
Amanda Daniels vs. Tomoe Lancaster
Katherine Williams vs. Yong Lee
Adriana Cortez vs. Charis Tang
Diva Sanchez vs. Phoenix Strong

Predictions and comments are welcome.

Mike Louis · January 28, 2009

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/41805/2593847630100162739S600x600Q85.jpg

VHS Cover for WCL 8: Ruthledge vs. Thiel II

WCL 8: Ruthledge vs. Thiel II

December 2, 1991

San Francisco, CA

Diva Sanchez vs. Phoenix Strong

Round 1

Sanchez isn't hanging around; right from the start Strong is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Strong circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Sanchez weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Sanchez, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Strong is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Sanchez really should have taken advantage of that mistake; Strong was wide open for a moment there. Sanchez hits a high kick, catching Strong on the shoulder. Jab from Strong finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as she was leaning backward too much. Sanchez fires off a couple of straight punches in response; but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Strong scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Sanchez, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. End of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Sanchez.

Round 2

They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Strong, providing the first moment of real action. Sanchez hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Strong side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Sanchez is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Sanchez by 10-9.

Round 3

Sanchez hits a solid left, then a right. Strong felt both of them, and backs off a little. Sanchez charges right in to follow up though, and unleashes a powerful right hook, and Strong took it flush on the chin! Sanchez doesn't even bother following up on that, because Strong was out cold from the instant that that hit. Incredible punch. Sanchez wins via 3rd round knock out with the official time being 0:46.

Adriana Cortez vs. Charis Tang

Round 1

Cortez starts fast, unleashing a bomb of a right hand, but Tang avoids it without too much trouble. Cortez isn't disheartened though, swinging two more huge punches, with Tang getting out the way each time, but being forced all over the place. Cortez finally backs off a little, breathing hard. That was quite a frantic start. Tang opts to use that, and comes in to throw some jabs. Cortez is backed up against the cage, covering up. Tang clinches. They struggle, and the fight enters a lull. Cortez hits a knee strike to the hip. Tang slips one leg behind Cortez and uses that as leverage for a big trip. Cortez landed hard, with Tang on top. They're in half guard. It's to Cortez's advantage that they're right next to the cage that is blocking Tang from attacking the left hand side of the body. Cortez is forced into action to defend a kimura attempt. Tang tries to step over to mount, but Cortez keeps her legs in position and ends up almost rolled into a ball. Tang fires some stiff punches to the back, then one to the face. She reaches through and tries to secure an armbar, but has to be careful as she is in danger of getting picked off with a counter armbar too. Cortez doesn't appear to be trying that though, instead trying to shift her weight so that she can get back up. Tang isn't allowing it though, and gets a couple more punches in before settling back into half guard. Cortez ties her up in a snug clinch. The action halts, and time expires before Tang can get free. The 1st round ends. Blurcat gives that one to Tang by 10-9.

Round 2

Good start from Tang, taking Cortez down almost immediately! Cortez scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Tang will be disappointed with that. Cortez comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Tang to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Cortez felt that one for sure. She stalks Tang, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Tang keeps out of the way. Cortez tries a kick, but Tang catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Tang gets Cortez down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Tang throws some punches, and then tries to pass. Cortez doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Tang easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Tang followed by a pass attempt, with Cortez blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The second round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Tang.

Round 3

They touch gloves to begin. Tang throws out a looping right hand, setting up a mid-level kick. The punch found gloves, the kick found nothing but thin air as Cortez had stepped back in time. They meet in the center, exchanging a series of blows, and Tang gets the better of it, scoring with a crisp jab that causes Cortez to back up quickly. Sensing a chance, Tang follows and forces her up against the cage with some jabs. Cortez covers up, as two hard strikes find the gloves from Tang. A right hand misses, and that is the chance Cortez needs to quickly get out of trouble and back to the center. Great start to the round from Tang. Tang gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. Cortez steps in to throw a right hand, but doesn't get a chance to pull the trigger as Tang is already in with a takedown. Cortez hits the floor hard, and Tang winds up in her guard. Tang passes guard without too much trouble, and cracks Cortez with a hard punch to the cheek. Cortez tries to scramble into a better position without dropping her guard against another punch, but can't, and Tang maneuvers so that she has one knee planted on Cortez's chest, keeping her from rolling. Tang quickly secures the left arm and transitions into a tight arm bar. Cortez has no way out, she taps. Tang wins via armbar submission at 2:41 of the third round.

Katherine Williams vs. Yong Lee

Round 1

Williams comes out fast, and looks like she is aiming for a quick takedown, but Lee stops that plan with some looping punches. Solid right hand from Lee connects, and that's the best moment of the opening minute of the round. Williams is mainly defending against punches, it looks like she is trying to work an angle to try for a takedown. Lee seems to have noticed, as she is purposely positioning against that. Straight left from Lee, then a low kick, then a wicked body shot. Williams felt that, and backs off. Williams tries to get in for a clinch, perhaps looking for a takedown from that position, but Lee gets her to back off with some jabs. Lee has really been able to stamp her gameplan on this round, Williams has been blocked at every turn. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lee.

Round 2

A fizzing right hand from Lee opens the round; it didn't find its intended target of Williams's chin, but it did land hard on the left shoulder instead. Williams fights back with a jab, but takes a hard shot to the body after leaning in too far. Lee pins her to the cage with a quick burst, and unloads with lefts and rights. Williams looks for a moment like she may be about to get overwhelmed, especially after a right hand appears to hit flush on the chin, but she recovers well and works her way back to the center. Lee is looking the more confident of the two by far. She smells blood, and comes in looking for a big right hand, only to walk right into a takedown. Williams had to time that perfectly, and did. Lee doesn't pull guard, instead scrambling, ending up onto her knees, with Williams taking her back! Williams tries to go for a choke, but Lee bucks and twists, scrambling back to her feet and backing off. A big right hand and a high kick prevent Williams from following too closely. After that frenetic minute of action, things die down, with the fighters circling. Lee scores with two leg kicks, Williams hits a tasty right hand to the body, but otherwise nothing much happens for the next couple of exchanges. Indeed, the clock runs down and the round ends without further noteworthy events. The round ends. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lee.

Round 3

Lee hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Williams to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Lee hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Williams tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Lee having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Williams. Williams pushes Lee back against the cage, and is able to use that as a set up to taking Lee down the mat, landing in side control. Lee tries to scramble into a better position, but Williams grabs an arm and tries to lock a hold in. Lee bucks her over, and manages to wind up on top, but Williams still has the arm, and now has her legs wrapped around it. Lee hits a flurry of left hands to the back and thighs of Williams, who is almost upside down now. It's no good though, as Lee cannot get her arm free, and as soon as Williams starts to sink the hold in fully, there's no choice but to tap out. Williams wins via 3rd round armbar submission with the official time being 3:23.

Amanda Daniels vs. Tomoe Lancaster

Round 1

The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Lancaster gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. High right kick from Lancaster, Daniels got caught trying to come in from a bad angle. She's down! Lancaster quickly moves in for the kill. Lancaster gets side control, and Daniels has to cover up immediately to deflect two scathing right hands. Lancaster is looking to get a crucifix, which Daniels is fighting while simultaneously trying to roll her hips to either pull guard to get back up. Neither happens, as Lancaster lets her roll, but cleverly stays with her, taking her back as a result. Daniels turtles up, but not before taking a brutal punch just below the left ear. The crowd certainly reacted to that shot. Lancaster, clearly sensing it's time to kill this match off, starts throwing bombs from either side, smashing into the side of Daniels' face. Daniels tries to cover up, but it's futile; the referee pulls Lancaster off to save Daniels from any further punishment. Official time of the TKO is 1:41 of the first round.

Debbie Clayton vs. Heidi Hoffman

Round 1

Hoffman throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Clayton throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Hoffman steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, and then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Clayton hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Hoffman. They struggle all the way back, with Hoffman ending up backed up against the cage. Clayton hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Hoffman stomps downward onto her foot. Hoffman manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Clayton gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Hoffman ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Hoffman tries a high kick to start, but Clayton saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Clayton who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Hoffman on the nose. Hoffman hits a straight right, enough to stop Clayton from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round ends. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Clayton.

Round 2

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Clayton puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Hoffman defended well. Straight right from Hoffman in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight; the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Clayton probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Hoffman gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Clayton. End of round 2. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Clayton.

Round 3

Hoffman hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Clayton to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Hoffman hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Clayton tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Hoffman having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Clayton. They clinch. Hoffman gets in a nice knee, but a second attempt sees her swept to the ground. Hoffman landed hard with Clayton right on top of her; it looks like she got winded. Clayton hits three big punches to the face, and Hoffman is rocked. Clayton gets an arm, locks in a kimura, and Hoffman has no alternative but to tap out. Clayton wins via 3rd round kimura submission with the official time being 3:15.

Mercedes Lopez (Champion) vs. Kendra Oates - WCL Heavyweight Title

Round 1

Lopez moves in quickly to begin, trapping Oates against the cage. The advantage doesn't last long though, as Oates uses her superior wrestling ability to turn the tables and gain the upper hand. Knee to the thigh by Oates; then a solid punch to the shoulder. Lopez tries to get a punch in, but Oates uses her grappling to gain a better position and put a stop to that. Lopez squirms free and away from the cage. Oates throws a combination of punches, Lopez defends them well. A scorching right hand from Oates hits! That was out of nowhere, it snapped Lopez's head back, and she falls backward to the mat, limp and unconscious! You'll rarely see a better punch than that, Oates just gave a picture-perfect knock out blow. Oates wins via 1st round knock out with the official time being 2:40. Kendra Oates wins the WCL Heavyweight title.

Anika Riley vs. Katie Thomas

Round 1

Right hand from Riley was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Thomas. Riley follows up by coming in close, but Thomas is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Thomas throws a couple of scorching jabs; neither hit, but it forces Riley to back pedal all the way back to the cage. Thomas follows in and throws a stinging kick to the ribs. Riley tries to catch it, but couldn't. Riley throws a right hand to try and catch Thomas coming in, but it's wide of the mark. Thomas throws a head kick, and it's a beauty, landing flush to the cheek. It was delivered with enormous power, and Riley drops to the floor immediately, she is out cold. The referee stops Thomas from following up, it's all over. The official time is 1:45.

Matilda Swain vs. Amy Lawson (Champion) - WCL Lightweight Title

Round 1

Flat start to the round; thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Lawson is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Swain blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Lawson is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Swain is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Lawson can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Lawson some problems later on. Lawson moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Swain is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Lawson before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Lawson off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Lawson goes for a trip, but Swain cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Swain may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Swain by 10-9.

Round 2

Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Swain puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Lawson defended well. Straight right from Lawson in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight; the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Swain probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Lawson gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Swain. That's the end of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Swain.

Round 3

Swain and Lawson circle to start. Lawson throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Swain sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Lawson comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Swain to slip a nice jab in, catching Lawson just underneath the right eye. Swain comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Lawson misses with a right cross, and then backs off. Swain stalks her, forcing Lawson back up against the cage. Swain doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Lawson throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Swain pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Lawson covers up from the first two punches, and then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Swain in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Swain throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with her arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Lawson comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Swain parries them with her gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Swain's favor. End of the round. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Swain.

Round 4

Lawson throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Swain throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Lawson steps back, throwing a right hand as she does to buy herself space. They circle, and then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Swain hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Lawson. They struggle all the way back, with Lawson ending up backed up against the cage. Swain hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Lawson stomps downward onto her foot. Lawson manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Swain gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Lawson ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Lawson tries a high kick to start, but Swain saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Swain who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Lawson on the nose. Lawson hits a straight right, enough to stop Swain from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The fourth round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Swain.

Round 5

The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Lawson forces Swain back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Lawson is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Swain clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Swain gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Lawson seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Swain who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Lawson had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. They come together, both throwing punches. Lawson gets a nice clean shot in, and Swain stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Lawson is on top of her quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls her away before a third is thrown; this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. Lawson wins via 5th round TKO with the official time being 3:20. Amy Lawson retains the WCL Lightweight title.

Mai Ishii vs. Kimie Lancaster

Round 1

Ishii comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Lancaster moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Ishii gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head; it looked to hit right on the ear. Lancaster didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Lancaster swings and hits a nice right hand. Ishii fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Lancaster dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Ishii's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Lancaster looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Ishii on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Lancaster will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. That's the end of the round. Blurcat has it down as 10-9 Lancaster.

Round 2

Flat start to the round; thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Ishii is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Lancaster blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Ishii is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves her off balance. Lancaster is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Ishii can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Ishii some problems later on. Ishii moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Lancaster is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Ishii before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Ishii off, since that moment she has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Ishii goes for a trip, but Lancaster cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Lancaster may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The second round is over. Blurcat sees it 10-9 to Lancaster.

Round 3

Right hand from Lancaster was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Ishii. Lancaster follows up by coming in close, but Ishii is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Lancaster comes in hard and fast, blitzing Ishii with a sequence of punches. One got through and landed below the left eye, but the others were comfortably blocked with the gloves. Ishii throws a hard right hand which smacks into the shoulder region, staggering Lancaster back a step or two. Ishii senses an opportunity to press the advantage and steps in...only to get her head nearly taken clean off her shoulders by a beautiful high head kick! That was as good of a kick as you'll see; it had power and landed perfectly behind the ear. Ishii is out cold before she hits the ground. Official time of the knock out is 1:39 of the third.

Helena Ruthledge vs. Katrina Thiel

Round 1

The round begins, and it is Ruthledge who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Thiel defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Ruthledge works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Thiel ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Ruthledge down much though, as she swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Thiel. Interesting first minute of action, Ruthledge is looking particularly sharp. Thiel tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Ruthledge back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Thiel tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Ruthledge scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. A looping left from Thiel, but it's wide of the mark. They square up to each other in the center. Ruthledge throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Thiel on the side of the head. Thiel got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Ruthledge has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Thiel tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Ruthledge defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. End of the round. Blurcat gives that one to Ruthledge by 10-9.

Round 2

The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Ruthledge forces Thiel back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Ruthledge is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Thiel clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Thiel gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Ruthledge seems to be trying to break the clinch; it's Thiel who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Ruthledge had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Thiel misses with a low kick. Ruthledge hits a nice right hand, then steps back and unloads a head kick. Thiel didn't see it coming and takes it full to the side of the head! She is out cold. What a kick; power and accuracy in one perfect package that was a beauty. Ruthledge wins by knock out. Official time of the knock out is 3:30 of the second round.

Quick Recap

Diva Sanchez beat Phoenix Strong (KO, Round 3 - 0:46) **
Charis Tang beat Adriana Cortez (Submission via Armbar, Round 3 - 2:41) **
Katherine Williams beat Yong Lee (Submission via Armbar, Round 3 - 3:23) **
Tomoe Lancaster beat Amanda Daniels (TKO, Round 1 - 1:41) **
Debbie Clayton beat Heidi Hoffman (Submission via Kimura, Round 3 - 3:15) **
Kendra Oates beat Mercedes Lopez to win WCL Heavyweight Title (KO, Round 1 - 2:40) **
Katie Thomas beat Anika Riley (KO, Round 1 - 1:45) **
Amy Lawson beat Matilda Swain to retain WCL Lightweight Title (TKO, Round 5 - 3:20) *
Kimie Lancaster beat Mai Ishii (KO, Round 3 - 1:39) **
Helena Ruthledge beat Katrina Thiel (KO, Round 2 - 3:30) ***

Attendance: 89

Live Gate: $5,320

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WCL (1990-1994): The Underground Era

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